Factory Assaults
by Knightwood
Summary: The Rangers and their friends all have to face many difficult fights as they prepare to stop Venjix's factories producing weapons of destruction...and not all of them are on the battlefield.
1. Preparing the Assault

As promised, here's the follow-up to "Gold and Silver Allies". As a quick recap on some things...

Chas was running for mayor of Corinth, but during the campaign, was slipped powerful and addictive painkillers, under orders of Fresno Bob as part of a deal with the other candidate, his father Mr. Winchester. The military, acting on an anonymous tipoff raided his home and searched his car, finding evidence of theft and forgery, and given his addiction, he was arrested.

Meanwhile, Dillon had a massive argument with Summer as he feared that he couldn't offer her a future since he wasn't sure if his implants rendered him unable to have children. He has since discovered that he can, however, Summer has yet to forgive him, and when she found out about the real reason for the fight, she moved out.

Finally, D46 is the leader of a resistance movement that is fighting Venjix out in the wastes, comprised largely of escaped slaves. D46 is the last remaining infiltrator; though he somehow escaped before his memories were altered, meaning he had full recollection of who he was before. He has eliminated all but two of his "brethren", Dillon and Tenaya, but still harbours a deep distrust for them and has made no secret of his desire to destroy them. However, the Rangers are in the position of being forced to trust him, realising that only he can keep those prisoners they can't bring home safe. He also has one last secret that the Rangers do not yet know. He is Marcus Truman. On to the usual, legal stuff.

**Rating: **T – Adult themes, language and violence.

**Legal: **I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, events etc. Anything not covered by the above rights is purely the creation of the author. Where the script overlaps with the episodes, Disney owns the rights to the script.

Chas was sitting in his cell in the remand block of the military base, shivering uncontrollably. He had been allowed to change out of his Lightningball armour, and into civilian clothing, before being brought in overnight. After being given a full physical examination and questioned at length about the drugs and the prescription pads found in his apartment, he had been taken to his cell overnight until the courts could convene in the morning to discuss his bail conditions.

He was sweating badly, and he couldn't stop shaking. He had dark circles under his eyes as a result of his sleepless nights. Since he had now not had a dose of the painkillers he had been taking in well over a day, he had already figured out that he was going through withdrawal symptoms. He felt aches and pains that were unbearable, and he couldn't get any rest or respite from his incarceration, but he also knew that asking for anything to help with the symptoms would only make it look more likely that he genuinely was a an addict.

Brie had visited the night before and explained what was happening. The painkillers he had been given by the doctor had been far stronger than he should have been taking, and were highly addictive, a fact he was experiencing the hard way. However, after being questioned, the military had attempted to find the doctor he claimed prescribed him the medication. So far though, there was no sign of him, and the clinic had denied even knowing of a doctor matching his description. It was as though he had dropped off the face of the earth, though to the courts it was beginning to look like he had never existed in the first place.

He looked up as two guards came into the room, bringing Brie and Flynn with them. He smiled as the door was opened, and Brie rushed to his side to hold him.

"How are you?" She asked him, noting his somewhat haggard appearance. "You look dreadful. Are you feeling alright?"

"I've had better nights." Chas told her, already feeling a little better at having seen her. "Brie, what are you doing here so early? You've got to think of the baby, this can't be doing any good."

"Do you really think I could relax anyway?" She asked him. "How have you been treated?"

"I've been fed. They gave me a cell to myself for the night." He told her. "When's my hearing?"

"The lawyer's talking to the judge now." She informed him. "If he manages to get you in first, hopefully your case will be heard and we can get you out of here."

"Is the lawyer confident?" He asked her. Brie nodded sadly, holding his hand gently.

"He said that because we own the apartment you're unlikely to be considered a flight risk." She told him weakly. She managed a small, sarcastic laugh. "I always wondered about that. I mean we do live in a dome right? It's not like you can walk into the wastes and ask Venjix to put you up for a few nights."

"I guess that's true." He replied with a reassuring smirk at the farcical nature of the courts trying to assess the flight risk of those awaiting trial. "If they don't find me at home, they know that I'll be somewhere in the city right?"

"Colonel Truman wanted me to tell you that the military has to suspend you pending trial, but they're still willing to pay you." Flynn added. "He still believes in you, we all do."

"I wish everyone else did." Chas replied. "What are the papers saying?"

"Try not to worry about that." Brie rushed out, hoping to make him think of something else. "Just concentrate on getting through this."

"Brie, you know I'm going to have to face it at some point." He responded. "What are they saying?"

She looked to Flynn, indicating that she wanted to be left alone with her fiancé. Flynn dutifully left them, leaving her to explain. He had already read the papers anyway, and knew it wouldn't be easy to hear.

"They're saying that because of the injuries you suffered, you've been taking too many painkillers." She informed him sympathetically. "They've been saying that your behaviour has been down to addiction. With the medication and the prescription orders they found..."

"Those weren't mine." He told her. "You believe me don't you?"

"Do you really have to ask?" She asked him in response. "I've been trying to tell you that the new meds weren't doing you any good. You've been acting out of sorts for a while now."

"I know that now. I just felt like it was helping, but over time I needed more." He informed her. "The doctor just kept signing off on the meds. I should have realised something was wrong, but..."

"Chas, it's alright. I know you could never do what they're saying." Brie assured him. "Even if you were that desperate for meds, you've never been into that whole scene. You wouldn't know where to begin finding meds or forged prescriptions."

"I wish everyone else believed that." He replied, rubbing his arms for warmth. Brie held him closely.

"Are you alright?" She asked him.

"This isn't the worst I've been." He told her. "The withdrawal symptoms have been pretty harsh."

"There's one more thing you have to know." She said quietly as she tried to tell him the worst part. "Your dad's already talked to the papers."

"I'm sure he's taking every opportunity to stick the boot in." He muttered. "Even if I did still have a chance at winning this election...what's he saying now?"

"He's playing this thing for publicity all the way." She told him, looking to the floor. "He's been saying he doesn't care about the election as long as his son's alright. He's been saying that even though you've fallen out, he's going to support you through this. He's offered to pay for rehab..."

"I think I get the general idea." He said bitterly, waving off the rest of her explanation. "He's trying to look like the perfect dad, all the while reminding everyone that I'm a junkie."

"Chas, you can't talk about yourself like that." She said reassuringly. "You never stole..."

"Look at me Brie, I'm falling apart!" He spat angrily. "I'm going through withdrawals. That bastard's only been giving me that shit for a few days and I'm hooked!"

"You can get over this, you're stronger than that, I know you are!" She replied, holding him tightly to her. "Just have patience. We might have a hard time ahead of us, but that doesn't mean we'll give up. I'll never give up on you."

"Thanks, that really means a lot to me." He replied. They were interrupted as a man in a suit; presumably the military lawyer Colonel Truman had sent to represent him came in, carrying a suit.

"I managed to get the judge to see you first." He told him. "There's no evidence to support your claims, so right now I think your best chance lies in throwing yourself on the mercy of the court."

"You mean you want me to plead guilty." Chas stated.

"The medical examination shows all the hallmarks of addiction." He explained. "This is your first offence, and between your military record and distinctions, the court will look favourably on you. If you plead guilty and submit to rehab, you'll almost certainly never go to jail."

"But I'd have to admit to the thefts and the forgery." Chas replied. "Sorry, I can't do that."

"Chas, you don't have any evidence..."

"I have friends that can help with that." He interrupted his lawyer, pulling off his t-shirt, and picking up the suit. "I'll submit to rehab, I'm going to need it, but I will not plead guilty."

"Chas, I have to remind you that you probably will go to prison if you're found guilty." He reminded the young man.

"Just get the bail hearing over with and get me out of here." Chas instructed him. "Making deals might be my father's way of doing things, but I won't admit to something I didn't do."

The lawyer just nodded, accepting that this was something Chas wouldn't change his mind on, and left. Brie got up to leave, only stopping at the door.

"I'll support you no matter what happens." She assured him.

"That's all that's keeping me going." Chas told her, pulling on his shirt. "I'll see you in court."

Back at the Garage, the Rangers were killing time until Dr. K could send them on their latest mission, to destroy the Alpha Project factory where the Doomsday weapon was being built. They had to coordinate their efforts with when the transport vehicles would be delivering the supplies to the factory, to ensure that the Resistance fighters and themselves would strike in a coordinated attack, that would release the prisoners, without damaging the transport vehicles that would be used to bring them back to Corinth.

Scott was lying back on the mats on the floor, seemingly asleep while Gem and Gemma put the finishing touches on the neutronic charges that would be used to destroy the factory for good. Ziggy and Tenaya were sitting on the steps in the corner, talking quietly as they watched Dillon staring into space, listening to the music from his watch.

"He's been like that since last night." Tenaya commented, nodding in his direction. Ziggy put his arm around her, pulling her into himself.

"Can you blame him?" Ziggy asked her. "Summer did just walk out last night."

"I can't believe that things got that bad between them." She sighed, noting that he was even quieter than usual. He hadn't bothered to irritate Scott, or comment on the twins' boundless enthusiasm. He hadn't even risen to the bait when Dr. K had been talking with him earlier, trying to ascertain whether or not the rift between him and Summer would affect the team. "I can't help feeling guilty. This all happened right after he found out about us."

"I haven't asked him." Ziggy replied. "I'm still trying to give him some space. Right now I don't think he'd want to talk."

"I just wish there was something we could do for him." She muttered, resting her head on his shoulder. "It isn't exactly going to help matters if he and Summer..."

"If nothing else they'll be able to work together." Ziggy interrupted her as she voiced her fear. "They were Rangers before they got together. They both know how important it is that the team functions as a unit."

"It's just not great timing." She replied, squeezing his hand a little. "This is going to be most important assault yet. Maybe I..."

"You know you can't come with us." Ziggy put down flatly. "As much as I'd love you to watch our backs, we have to keep D46 onside for now. We're pushing our luck with Dillon, but at least he has the Series Black rig. We can't take the chance he'll try to take another shot at you. He hasn't exactly made a secret of the fact he hasn't given up on that front."

"I guess so." She replied sadly. "Well I guess I can do one thing for him. Maybe he'll talk to his little sister."

With that, she made her way over to talk to him. Ziggy just noticed Dr. K slipping into her lab with Gem and Gemma, and opted to slip in behind them and see what they were up to. He knew that Dr. K had a stronger bond with the twins than the others, and had already assigned them tasks without informing the other Rangers, of course this was easily the most important offensive they would be taking part in. He wanted to know what was going on.

"Dr. K, are you sure..."

"...This programme will work?" Gem asked her. Dr. K rolled her eyes.

"I'm not certain, but we have to do everything in our power to prevent anything like this happening again." She reminded them. "This flash drive incorporates a worm that will search through the entire database and remove all trace of the Doombot's files, including backups. If it works, we only have to destroy this one before it's airborne, and Venjix will be unable to simply build another one, at least not for some time."

"So you want us to upload this programme..."

"...before we make the place go..."

"...Boom!" They chorused together, high fiving each other and hopping around like gleeful infants. Dr. K just smiled.

"That is exactly the plan." She replied. "I just wish there was some way we could match this kind of firepower. I don't currently have any way to create something to combat something like this. If Venjix ever manages to get something like this operational without our knowledge..."

"Why fight it?" Ziggy asked, revealing himself. The three just looked at him a little confused.

"What are you doing here Ziggy?" Dr. K asked in an exasperated tone. He just smirked.

"You know, back when I was working for the Scorpion Cartel...before coming to Corinth of course...Fresno Bob used to love gambling on street racing. He loved the cars." He told them.

"So?" Dr. K asked.

"At one time, one of the other crime families had an amazing car." He continued with his story. "It was a demon of a creation. The kind of engine that makes Scott's car look like a go-kart, and with more nitrous than a dentist's office. The parts were so rare that it was one of a kind. None of the other cartels could make a car that could compete with it."

"I still don't see your point Ranger Green." Dr. K snapped grumpily. Ziggy just looked at them like it was obvious.

"He jacked it." He explained. "He figured that if he couldn't compete with it, why not make it his?"

Dr. K stopped in her tracks and stared at him dumbfounded. Of all the Rangers, Ziggy had been the one she had looked down on the most. She couldn't believe that he of all people would come up with an idea that she hadn't considered herself.

"Could we..."

"...Do that?" Gemma asked her. Dr. K furrowed her brows and turned to her computer, looking up dormant files of base DNA codes for bio tech zords she had never gotten around to building, comparing them to the schematics of the Doombot.

"I don't know if it'll work, but it just might." Dr. K told them. "Just give me a while to get this ready."

Meanwhile, out in the main room, Dillon looked up as Tenaya threw herself onto the couch, almost sitting on his legs as he lay there.

"Want to talk about it?" She asked him. Dillon shook his head.

"Talk about what? She's gone." He replied. "She moved in with her parents. She made it clear she didn't want to see me."

"Not right now, maybe she just needs time." She suggested.

"Maybe she just needs to stay away from me." He replied. Tenaya just reached over, taking the watch from him.

"I still remember this tune by heart." She told him. "I remember...I had a necklace, a key that would open it."

"Like this?" Dillon asked her. Tenaya nodded.

"I think we both had one." She told him. "I remember that tune always made me feel...connected to you. Since we both had a key..."

"It was something that only we shared." He responded as though a veil had been lifted. He looked up at her. "I didn't remember any of that until...now."

"We might have a lot of things that we're still not sure of, but we do know we are connected." She reminded him. "Maybe you could tell me what's wrong."

"I saw Summer having a great time with the kids, and I kind of...imagined her like that some day. It just seemed right." He told her, with a little smile on his face. "It was beautiful to see her like that. So peaceful, and happy and...I got scared."

"Scared?" Tenaya asked him, a little confused.

"You know that there are a lot of things we can do that others can't." He replied. "You know...because we are the way we are. Well, I was just thinking, and I don't know how much of my body really is biological."

She stared at him blankly for a second, before the realisation hit her.

"Oh, right. You mean you didn't know if..."

"I didn't want her to miss out because of me, so when I found out about you and Ziggy, I picked a stupid fight with her. I figured if she broke up with me then she could get together with someone that would give her what she wants."

"That plan...has to be about the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Tenaya replied. Dillon glared at her angrily. "Hey, I'm just saying..."

"Flynn got the truth out of me and convinced me to have some tests done." Dillon told her. "Sam ran them, and told me there's no reason I shouldn't be able to have kids."

"If you'd talked to me, I could have told you that." She told him. "I do have..."

"You know, I think that's one of those things brothers and sisters don't talk about." Dillon interrupted her.

"Sorry, I'm still trying to figure that out myself." She stated with a small blush.

"Anyway, she found the report, and I explained everything, but she just told me I didn't get it, and she needed some space." He told her. "That's when she left."

"You really don't know what's wrong?" Tenaya asked him. Dillon shook his head.

"I guess I did say some horrible things to her." He conceded.

"I don't think it's really about that." She told him. "Think about it. Who did you talk to about this?"

"I talked to Flynn and he suggested the tests." He replied. "I talked to Sam about the results, and I guess now I've talked to you..."

"Who haven't you talked to about this?" Tenaya asked him. Dillon just looked like he was ready to slap his own forehead as the penny dropped.

"Summer."

"I can understand why she'd be hurt." She replied. "When I was worried about my...uh...my health...I talked to Ziggy."

"Thanks for trying, but still a little too much information." He replied. "Try not to give me those mental images would you? I'm still not sure about this 'don't kill the boyfriend' agreement."

"I guess I got a little creeped when Dr. K mentioned you and Summer." Tenaya replied with a shudder. "I guess we learned a little about what we should and shouldn't talk about to each other."

Just then, Summer walked in. Tenaya handed Dillon back his watch and left them. Dillon came over to her.

"Summer..."

"I'm just here for the briefing and the mission." She told him as Colonel Truman and a dozen soldiers arrived in an additional two transport vehicles. Scott had decided that it was best to ensure as many workers as possible were removed since they still weren't completely sure about how trustworthy D46 was. "I still need time, until this is over, could we just try and..."

"Summer, we need to talk about this." He replied. "I know that I've hurt you..."

"This really isn't the time. Until this is over, can we just concentrate on the job in hand?" She asked him. At that point, Dr. K arrived in the room.

"If everyone would please follow me into the Ranger room, we'll begin the briefing." She instructed them. The others started to file into the room.

"Summer..."

"Not now." She cut him off abruptly, turning from him and heading into the lab. "Good luck Ranger Series Black."


	2. Making the Move

Dillon looked over at Summer sadly as the Rangers and the soldiers filed into the Ranger room for the briefing. He took a seat in the far corner by Ziggy and Tenaya as she took her place at the front of the room. She wasn't even looking in his direction as Dr. K took her place at the front of the room.

"I take it things went well." Tenaya whispered into his ear. Dillon just shook his head. He knew that she was hurt and angry about his behaviour towards her, but he didn't know she could be like this. She hadn't given him a chance to explain, he hadn't expected to get an opportunity to sort everything out, but he thought she would at least let him apologise. The thing that hurt most though was how she dismissed him before the meeting. She couldn't even manage a civil conversation. She had even ended with a big slap in the face. She couldn't even call him by his name, instead addressing him as "Ranger Black."

"Give it time; I'm sure she'll come around." Ziggy suggested. "I mean she did only leave last night."

"As you all know we are co-ordinating the attack to destroy the Venjix factory, designated Alpha Project. The primary objective is to eliminate the threat of the Doombot dome buster weapon that Venjix has been creating." Dr. K explained.

"So we're making the place..."

"...go BOOM!" Gemma interrupted Scott. He had to stifle a small laugh as she included him in her usual erratic and overly animated speech pattern. Dr. K gave her something of a dark look, seeing this. It still bothered her seeing how close she and Scott were getting.

"Yes, but only after the special operation." Dr. K reminded her, tugging on the sleeve of Gemma's jacket. Gemma and her brother both bounced a little excitedly and waved to Ziggy, remembering their special instructions. Tenaya and Dillon both turned to look at him.

"What special instructions?" Tenaya asked him.

"What was that about?" Dillon asked him. Ziggy just shrugged and shrank a little into his seat. He knew he wasn't meant to divulge the rather radical plan he, Dr. K and the twins had discussed.

"Colonel Truman and three of his soldiers are coming with us, bringing with them two additional transport vehicles." Dr. K continued with the briefing, gesturing to the four soldiers in the front row. "We are to rendezvous with D46 at the co-ordinates I've given you. From there, keep the factory under surveillance until the delivery arrives in the transport vehicles. It is imperative that we do not allow the trucks to be damaged."

Scott got up onto the floor and stood, facing them. "Dr. K's already told me that the boom happy twins have a special assignment inside the factory. I'm not happy about splitting my forces any more than we have to, but I trust her judgement." He told them. Dr. K got a little smirk on her face as she heard him say this and tried to concentrate on the display. "Summer, Dillon, you and Ziggy have the best knowledge of the factory's layout. Summer and Dillon, you place the charges around the main reactor room. Triggering an explosion in there should cause a catastrophic meltdown and reduce the complex and everything in it to scrap metal. Ziggy and Flynn will go in and spring the prisoners from their cells."

"Scott and Colonel Truman will remain outside the factory, directing the efforts of D46 and his guerrillas to take out the exterior guards." Dr. K told them. "Our scans show that the Doombot is not yet operational and has not left the complex, however guard activity has significantly increased. Venjix obviously suspects we are aware of the presence of the weapon and is expecting such an operation."

"So does everyone know what they're doing?" Scott asked. "This is the last chance to ask questions."

Gemma raised her hand nervously. Dr. K nodded to indicate she could ask her question.

"What is the priority of the objectives?" She asked. "I mean..."

"...what if it's impossible to do everything?" Gem asked. Dr. K thought about it for a while.

"Getting the prisoners out safely is important. Their safety is paramount. If we cannot get them to the evacuation point, then at least get them out of the factory. D46 will take care of them." Dr. K began. "As for our special objective...the most important thing is that Venjix does not get that weapon in its grasp. If it looks like the special project will fail...you must ensure that the factory and the weapon are completely destroyed."

They all nodded in understanding. Just as they were about to leave, the door opened and Hicks entered. His arm was no longer in the splint, and he appeared to be in good health. The burns on his face and neck had healed considerably, almost having completely faded. Colonel Truman looked up at him curiously.

"Hicks, what are you doing here?" He asked him. "I told you to remain at Central Command."

"Sir, I am fit for active duty." Hicks told him, saluting him. "Vasquez is a better communications and tactical analyst than I am. I feel I would be more useful to you in the field."

"Hicks, I still value you as a comrade." Colonel Truman told him. "You don't have to feel like..."

"Stand down private." Hicks instructed one of the soldiers, holding his hand out for his blaster. The young soldier looked between the two men, before handing it over. "With all due respect sir, you can feel free to fire me when we get back."

"What am I going to do with you?" Colonel Truman asked with a small grin as he said this. He gestured to the other soldier. "You're dismissed."

"If everyone is aware of their assignments, then it's time to move out." Scott ordered. "Rangers ready?"

"Ready!" They all called out, preparing their morphers. All except for Gemma, who was too busy looking over at Hicks, who was preparing his equipment for the mission. Gem nudged her gently to bring her concentration back to the task at hand.

"Uhhh...ready!" She finally said.

"RPM, Get in Gear!" They all screamed, morphing into their respective forms. Hicks and the soldiers mounted up in their trucks, before the Rangers got into the back.

Summer held back for a second, watching as Dillon got into one of the trucks so she could ensure that she got into the other one. She found herself sandwiched between Flynn and Scott in the back. Gemma slipped in just behind them.

"I thought you always travelled with Gem." Flynn commented.

"That was before I saw that guy." Gemma chirped, pointing towards the front of the truck. "Who is that?"

"Dad?" Scott asked her. Gemma just laughed.

"No silly, the cute guy driving." She replied. "He's just...wow..."

"Uh...Summer? You're meant to be going with Dillon remember?" Scott asked her, shaking his head and laughing at Gemma's cute behaviour. He had a feeling that Alphabet Soup was probably not a hot dating scene, and she definitely seemed to be acting like a little girl with a massive crush. Knowing her enthusiasm and borderline psychotic cheerfulness, he was sure watching her trying to catch Hicks' attention would be entertaining.

"We can meet up in the field." She replied quietly. "Besides, isn't Flynn meant to be going with Ziggy?"

"Did someone call?" Ziggy asked as he shoved his way into the back. "I was just..."

"We get it Ziggy, we know Tenaya's probably worried." Scott told him, looking to Summer briefly. They all recalled their helmets for comfort during the drive. Gem, Dillon and the remaining two soldiers got into the other truck, before the engines fired up and they pulled out of the Garage, heading for the gates to the city. Flynn looked over to Summer, realising that she was still miserable as a result of the fight with Dillon.

"I noticed you got a chance to talk to Dillon." Flynn whispered, putting an arm around her protectively. "How did that go?"

"I wouldn't really call it a talk." She admitted. "I kind of gave him the cold shoulder."

She was hesitant to talk to him. She knew that Flynn knew about the fight between them. Indeed, he had been the one that had confronted Dillon when Summer wasn't able to contain her anger over his treatment of her. He had managed to get Dillon to admit to him what was troubling him. Of course that was also part of the problem. One of the things that hurt the most about the split, more than even the way he had insulted her in an attempt to get a rise out of her was the fact he talked to Flynn about his fears. He hadn't spoken to her, the woman he claimed to love.

"Look, you and I know that Dillon isn't exactly a philosophy major." He commented. "He might not be the sharpest tool in the box, but you can't doubt his heart."

"I didn't before." She muttered. Flynn just held her tighter as she said this. "Damn it, he's such an idiot. Why did he have to be like that? I've talked to him about everything!"

"Well, not quite everything." Flynn reminded her. "You weren't exactly quick to tell him about Ronan."

"We weren't..."

"You're trying to tell me you weren't thinking about him back then?" He asked her. Summer couldn't answer. "You also tried to keep the nightmares to yourself."

"Would you stop pointing all that stuff out?" She complained. "I thought you were my friend. You're meant to be on my side."

"I am on your side. I can see that this is making both of you miserable." He told her. He rubbed the back of his neck as he felt his muscles tighten up. "I guess there's also a part of me that feels a little guilty. I encouraged him to have those tests."

"Flynn, I understand." She assured him. "I'm not even really mad about that anymore."

"So what's the problem?" He asked her. Summer sighed as she thought about it.

"I just feel like I can't trust him anymore." She replied sadly. "He didn't talk to me. He tried to deal with all of this by himself. When I looked at him, all I felt was angry. How can he say he loves me if he can't even talk to me?"

"Like I said, he hasn't really made a reputation for himself as a genius." Flynn reminded her. "He told me he thought he'd be doing you a favour in the long run."

"By crushing me?" She asked him. "By making me feel worthless?"

"I said he wasn't that smart." Flynn stated, causing her to smile and laugh slightly. "Maybe you should think about hearing him out."

"I guess I have to at some point." She conceded. "I just feel so betrayed right now. I just can't hold it together when I'm around him. I just need some time to cool down."

"Well I still have some hope for the two of you." Flynn said with a smirk. "You couldn't be that hurt if you weren't still nuts about him."

"I never said I wasn't." Summer responded. "That's why this all hurts so much."

"Guys, we're almost at the city limits." Scott announced, causing everyone to look around. "It's almost time to go to the Zords."

Out in the wastes, D46 was moving around the dunes surrounding the factory, taking in the surroundings. He adjusted his helmet and gas mask, before scanning around. From his vantage point here, he could see almost the entire complex. He knew his men were moving into positions on all the compass points, awaiting his signal to move in.

He smiled as a female officer approached him slowly from behind, moving so quietly as he had trained her that it would have been virtually impossible for anyone else to have heard her.

"Give me the report sweetheart." He ordered her before she could speak. She jumped with a little start. She always hated it when he did that. He always seemed to know exactly what was going on all around him. It was one of the things that kept them all safe, but at the same time it was highly unsettling that not only did he know someone was approaching, he also seemed to know who it was without waiting for them to announce themselves.

"We're all in position." She told him, saluting him. She was tall, with deep red hair that was tied back in a ponytail that extended down to her shoulder blades. Because of her pale skin, she had combat fatigues that covered almost the entirety of her flesh, preventing the harsh sun from affecting her. She pulled down the swathe of scarves that protected her face and head. "The trucks are about two miles east of here. They'll be here as scheduled."

"You've got to love that about Venjix." He replied as he pulled off his mask, looking down on her with an uncharacteristic smile. He was focused and dedicated to the protection of the people in his charge to the point of obsession. The brutality and desperation of their campaign left little room for warmth. Of course everyone, even he needed to find some comfort. His most trusted lieutenant, Isla, provided him with that during the times he wondered if Marcus Truman truly was lost forever to this savage place. He put an arm around her. "They never change their schedules, even if they do expect resistance."

"You think they expect us?" She asked him. Marcus pulled out a pair of binoculars and handed them to her.

"North entrance." He told her. She looked through, seeing a hideous construction that appeared to be made entirely of saw blades standing by the door. "When was the last time you saw Venjix assign an attack bot to protect an installation like this?"

"So it must know we're coming to destroy it." She replied. "You really think these Ranger guys can do what they say they will?"

"You know me better than to think I'd leave all my eggs in one basket." He told her. "We've brought enough C4 in here to bury the place. Besides, there's no way we have the supplies to house all these people. By the time they've dropped off the supplies they promised and ship out the rest, we'll have the means to push through to the other installations."

"You trust them?" She asked him. "They have one of the other infiltrators working for them?"

"Not for long." He said with a grin, pulling out a demolition charge. "When we bury this place, I'll make sure we bury D44 with it."

She pulled in close to him, kissing him. Marcus pulled his mask back on as they parted, and she replaced her scarves.

"Come on Scarlet!" He called to her, cradling his blaster in his arm. "It's time we went to meet our allies."

The Rangers and the soldiers arrived on a ridge a little way from the factory, pulling their vehicles and Zords to a halt. Gem and Gemma landed a little further off to prevent being seen from the factory.

"Everyone stay sharp." Scott ordered them, activating his helmet. All the others did the same. The soldiers all pulled on their own helmets, strapping them on tightly. "We need to get ready for anything."

"We're already in position to advance." D46 announced, arriving on the scene. Scott approached him slowly, looking him up and down, trying to get a measure of him.

"I've heard a lot about you." He told him. "Including the fact you tried to kill two of my friends."

"Maybe you need to review how you pick your friends." He suggested with a shrug. "We're coming in from all points, but we'll need your help with the frontal assault. Venjix sent one of its big guns to oversee things. I guess it knew we were coming."

Scott activated the telescopic mode in his visor, getting a good look at it.

"It looks like our old friend the saw bot's back." Scott sighed.

"Didn't we already destroy that?" Ziggy asked him. "Is it just me or is Venjix getting lazy?"

"The last one downloaded all our moves." Scott reminded him. "If that one has the same programming, it could cause us problems."

"Unless we give it something it hasn't seen before." Ziggy said with a little smirk, looking to Gem and Gemma.

"The control room's on the south end by the outlet." Summer told them. The twins nodded and left to make their way around, preparing for the order to advance. "The holding cells are round on the west."

"We're on it." Flynn announced, grabbing Ziggy and heading off.

"The rest of us need to go in the front." Scott told them. "Summer, you and Dillon get the charges inside. We'll secure the transports."

Summer just nodded, casting a small glance to Dillon, before turning back to the factory.

"We're on it." Dillon assured him. He looked at D46. "You just remember what side you're on."

"I always know what side I'm on." He answered.

"Dad, you and the rest of the troops stay here and defend the vehicles. We might need to get out quick once those charges are set." He told him. "So what's the rest of the plan?"

"Go in under covering fire." D46 told him. "What's the problem Red? You want to live forever?"

Scott couldn't help feeling like that sounded familiar. D46 grabbed a smoke grenade from his belt and pulled the pin. Using his amazing strength, he launched it high into the air over the factory, at which it exploded, causing dark red smoke to appear in the sky over the factory.

At that point, guerrillas opened fire from several points surrounding the factory. Scott, Summer and Dillon did the only thing they could and followed D46 as he ran into the fray, spraying fire into the ranks of Grinders.

"I have a really bad feeling about this." Dillon muttered as Summer used her energy blast to blow the doors off, giving them access to the factory. He followed her, hoping that he was just being paranoid.

"So you're Venjix's latest and greatest?" D46 asked as he ran at the saw bot. "Come on then! Let's see what you've got!"

Scott could only watch, pinned down by Grinders as he watched his uneasy ally launch into the attack. He had to keep the trucks safe until Flynn and Ziggy could release the prisoners, and it looked like his ally had his own agenda, but right now he was too busy saving the trucks to do anything about it. If they didn't have the transport for the prisoners, then the assault was all for nothing.


	3. Coming Home

Chas and Brie made their way into the Garage, finding it uncharacteristically empty. Tenaya and Sam were there to monitor the battle over the surveillance system, while Dr. K shut herself into the lab to prepare for the riskiest part of the plan.

"Hi, how are things?" Sam asked a little nervously. They could understand why things were a little awkward. How exactly did you greet someone who until a few hours previously was in a prison cell, waiting to here if they would be granted bail to await trial?

"A lot better now I'm out of there." Chas replied, taking a seat. He had satisfied the court he wasn't a flight risk, though because the only place to really run was outside the dome, most managed to arrange a bond these days. It wasn't as if many were willing to risk almost certain death to escape a few years in prison. "Now I just need to worry about the trial."

"He's pleading not guilty." Brie informed her. Sam nodded in understanding. Having worked in conjunction with the justice department for so long as a forensic scientist, she was well aware of how the system worked. Since it was his first offence and he had a good record with his service to the military, if Chas just confessed to the offences, submitted to rehab and threw himself on the mercy of the court, it was likely that he would only receive probation, or perhaps a fine. His decision to contest the charges was probably not the wisest move, but it would be the only way to completely clear his name. "He isn't willing to admit to something he didn't do."

"Well if I'm going to help you, then I'll need to take some blood samples. Because I know you, the justice department wouldn't let me work the case. I'm sure Dr. K wouldn't mind me borrowing some equipment. I'll also need you to tell me everything."

"I can't tell you anything I didn't tell the military." He said in an exasperated sigh. "Dr. Williams gave me the first of my injections. After the first couple of times, he gave me a few to take away with me."

"Well he should never have done that for a start." Sam told him as she prepared a needle. "The painkillers he was giving you are only legally meant to be administered by a doctor."

"When the military went to find him, the clinic said they'd never even heard of a Dr. Williams." He reminded her as she took a sample to see how much the drugs were still affecting him. "That stuff they found at my apartment and in my car didn't have any fingerprints on it, so they can't prove it wasn't mine."

"Personally I'd have thought that was suspicious in itself." Sam told him as she put away the needle and handed him the cotton bud. "If that stuff was really yours and had been in your possession for any length of time, I'd expect there to at least be a partial print. No one is that forensically careful, especially if they have to deal with withdrawal symptoms and post-hit highs."

"How did you know there weren't any of my fingerprints on the stuff they confiscated?" He asked her. Sam just smiled at him and pulled out a folder, putting it down on the table.

"I wasn't allowed to be part of the investigation, but since I took over, nothing in that lab is off-limits to me." She assured him. "I don't want your dad to become mayor any more than you do. If there's anything I can do to help, I will."

"I just wish I knew how he could have planted that stuff without us knowing." Brie remarked. "I mean does he even know anyone with that kind of experience?"

"Uncle Bob." Chas chipped in, causing them both to look at him. He had hit a moment of clarity as she mentioned this. A smear campaign was exactly the kind of thing his dad would do, but he had his doubts he'd go so far as to create the evidence.

"You don't have any uncles." Brie said with a confused look on her face. "Your dad's the only surviving Winchester kid and your mom only had a sister."

"I always called him Uncle Bob; he was an old business associate of my dad's from way back." Chas explained. "He's related by marriage, I think it was a cousin or something dad was never too specific. He always made sure he emphasised Uncle Bob was only related by marriage."

"I thought you said they were friends." Brie commented. Chas just smiled at her.

"Uncle Bob's not old money, he's a self-made man." Chas explained. "He and Dad did a lot of business but you know how he is about the family name."

"So what makes you think that he might be involved?" Sam asked him. Chas looked up at them from his chair.

"Uncle Bob's business isn't exactly legitimate." He told them. "You know him better as Robert Taylor."

"Fresno Bob?" They both questioned him in a shriek. Chas just nodded.

"He's done stuff for dad in the past that isn't exactly on the level." Chas told them. "He would easily have the means to set up something like this."

"That's true." Sam conceded with a shrug. "He would be able to arrange something like that."

"One of my campaign promises was to dedicate more resources to combating organised crime." Chas told her. "Dad promised that too, but they still have business dealings together. He knows that dad would be the best candidate for his business."

"Well it makes sense on the surface." Sam agreed, beginning to work on the sample. "Now all we have to do is see if we can prove it."

Gem and Gemma made their way through the factory, finding their way into the control room. Gemma smashed aside some Grinders that were protecting the control console as Gem made the sprint for it, pulling out the flash drive.

"Are you sure this is going to work Dr. K?" He asked as he inserted it into the console, activating the programme.

"In theory it should work Gem." She answered over the comm-link, beginning to work on the computer. "I just wish I had more time to develop it to be sure."

An alarm sounded and red lights started flashing, causing them to feel a little uneasy. The twins looked at each other, terrified by this. They heard a lot of machinery working, sparking into life.

"Well it seems to be working." Gemma chipped in. "I guess that means..."

"I wish I could get excited, but only the first part of the programme has been entered." Dr. K told her, working feverishly away on her computer as the uplink became active. She knew she would have to work fast if she was to counteract Venjix's countermeasures once it realises the system was under attack.

"But the upload's beginning." Gem stated. "So the full programme will enter the Doombot..."

"Or the initiation code I uploaded will have activated the Doombot two days early." Dr. K reminded him, feeling her heart racing and mopping her brow nervously as she worked on by far her greatest gamble. "And I truly will be responsible for the end of the human race."

Flynn and Ziggy meanwhile rushed through the complex, smashing open cells wherever they found them, guiding the prisoners as they went.

"We've only got one more block to go!" Flynn called out as he smashed open more cells. "Dillon, how are those charges looking?"

"We're almost finished in here." He answered over the communicator as Summer set another charge. He grabbed a Grinder that was approaching her, launching it onto the wall so hard it smashed into pieces with the impact. "Just three more charges to set."

"That's the last cell." Ziggy called out as his Turbo Axe sent the last door flying. He quickly scanned the room to ensure he was correct. "Scott, is the way clear to those transports?"

"I'm working on it!" He yelled as he was beset on all sides by Grinders. His father and Hicks had set up an impressive supporting fire position with their comrades, and were keeping the worst of the forces off him. A fact he was happy for as D46 had completely abandoned their position to go after the Sawbot alone. He cast a glare over his way, seeing that the enigmatic warrior was indeed doing well, taking it to his opponent ferociously, though he fought with a rage that blinded him to his objective. This was exactly what Scott was worried about. His team had to bail out the guerrillas once before because D46 became sidetracked when he saw Tenaya. Hicks scored another masterful shot as one of the foot soldiers almost blindsided the Red Ranger. "The Northern entrance is covered. Get them out of here!"

Ziggy and Flynn led the prisoners out of the Northern entrance, filing them towards the trucks. They were thankful that it seemed none of them had been destroyed.

"If any of you have experience driving trucks, take the wheel!" Flynn ordered them as they assisted Scott in pushing the Grinders back. "Evacuate in an orderly fashion and head north over that ridge."

As many of the prisoners as could fit into the trucks piled in, while a couple who were able to drive jumped into the cabs and fired up the engines. The ones who remained started to panic, beginning to try and fight their way into the trucks.

"There are more transports over the ridge!" Ziggy yelled as he saw the panic setting in, leading to the possibility of others getting hurt. "Follow us!"

Ziggy and Flynn led them up the dune as Hicks, the Colonel and the other two troops covered their retreat. They rejoiced to see the Zords and the trucks waiting. The Zords had all been adapted to have additional capacity to carry as many as possible. The two soldiers evacuated the remaining prisoners into the Zords and the trucks.

"That's the last of them!" Hicks called out as the last of them entered their vehicles. "Private! Get the trucks out of here. All of you who don't know the way, follow the lead truck. Those of you in the Zords, your pilots will be here soon!"

Flynn and Ziggy pulled out their Nitro Blasters and joined the Colonel and Hicks covering the others.

Meanwhile, D46 was continuing his ferocious battle with the Sawbot. It was by far the strongest of the attack bots he'd ever faced, though he knew that the demolition charge he had brought with him would be enough to destroy it. He just wanted to hold off long enough to achieve his objective. He watched as the Gold and Silver Rangers rushed out of the exit, making their way to the Zords, destroying more of the Grinders as they went. He knew that meant there was only the Yellow one and D44 left.

"How are those charges doing?" Scott yelled as He watched them head to the Zords.

"We're done here!" Summer called out as she and Dillon rushed out of the open doorway. D46 watched this and smiled as he saw it. He grabbed the Sawbot, and attached the Demo charge to its chest.

"There's still someone inside!" He screamed at Dillon, gesturing to the door. "My bio scanner just registered someone inside!"

Dillon turned around and ran back inside to search. Summer turned to watch him go back in, thinking about going after him. She watched as D46 threw the Sawbot into the doorway. Looking in his direction, she saw that he was holding a detonator and realised to her horror that he had sent Dillon to his doom. Tears burned her eyes and her heart raced as without another thought, she raced in after him.

"Dillon!" She screamed, launching herself at him. He turned to see what the commotion was, only to see the Sawbot in the doorway with the demo charge attached to it. Summer tackled him as hard as she could, boosting the speed of the launch with her energy blast as D46 set of the charge, blowing the door to smithereens, sealing them inside. D46 smiled as he realised he had succeeded in his objective. When the charges went off, everything in that factory would be destroyed, including D44.

"Burst Attack!" Scott screamed as he smashed D46 several feet with his suit's power.

"You're better off without him!" D46 snarled, pulling out a sword and preparing to defend himself.

"You sold us out you two faced bastard!" Scott screamed as he brought forth his Street Sabre. Both of them lost balance and the very ground shook as the last thing anyone wanted occurred. With a deafening roar of jet engines, the Doombot took flight. Because Dillon and Summer were inside with the detonator, they hadn't set off the charges in time to destroy it. They had failed.

Back at the Garage, Dr. K saw the Doombot take flight and head for Corinth. She only had minutes left to complete the download, otherwise there was no way the shields would hold up.

She steeled herself and concentrated as hard as she could, decrypting and typing the last lines of code as quickly as she could. The whole city shook as the Doombot arrived, firing its opening rounds.

"You know if that plan of yours is going to work, now would be a good time." Tenaya screamed as she came to Dr. K's side. "The dome isn't going to take much more of this!"

"I know that, so it's just as well I'm finished." Dr. K said with a smile, uploading the last of the code. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."

Suddenly the bombardment stopped. Tenaya looked up, confused as to what had happened.

"Why did it stop?" She asked her. Dr. K pulled up the Doombot's new schematics for her to see.

"Why would our own Zord attack us?" Dr. K asked in response. "Say hello to the Blue Whale Zord."

Tenaya hugged the doctor, amazed at what she had accomplished. She released her and looked at her a little uncomfortably. The two parted after their awkward moment, straightening themselves out.

"I just have to ask one question though." Tenaya stated. "Why a whale? They don't even fly?"

"Neither does a tiger." Dr. K responded with a shrug. Just then the alarm went off, and they checked the monitors, seeing the Sawbot pulling free of the wreckage of the factory and making its way towards the city at mammoth size.

"Dr. K we have major problems here!" Flynn screamed. "Summer and Dillon are trapped in the factory and our friend just got a major upgrade."

"My scanners show the new Sawbot has the downloaded memories of your moves and Zord configurations, but it doesn't have a learning system." Dr. K told him, checking her computer. "Gem, Gemma, bring your Zords back here. It's time to show that Sawbot something it's never seen before. Let's see what that new Whale Zord can do."

"We're on it Dr. K..."

"...Consider us there!" The twins responded as they took off. The prisoners in the passenger compartment all cheered as their pilots arrived, realising that they were finally getting to go to safety. Gem watched at the remote Whale Zord was beginning the against the massive attack bot.

"Whale Zord Sequence activated." Gemma screamed in her excitement.

"Time to see what this baby can do!" Her brother added as the Zords linked up. "Time for another Venjix goon to go boom!"

The dust settled in the factory, and Dillon started to come around, shifting slowly. He had activated his invincibility shield to protect them as the rubble descended; saving them from what little had landed on them. He looked down, breathing easily as he saw that Summer was in his arms, where she had ended up as she tackled him away from the blast. He recalled his helmet as he swept the debris from them, helping her up to a seating position.

"Are you alright?" He asked her. Summer recalled her helmet too. She still felt uncomfortable and conflicted as she rested in his arms. She still felt a sense of anger and pain at his behaviour, but when she had seen him running into the factory, knowing that he could be running to his doom, all she had felt was fear that she would lose him, and the overwhelming duty to save him.

"I'll live." She replied. Dillon looked down on her, realising the position he was in. Their faces were inches apart, and she was in his arms. It was a wonderful feeling, one he wasn't sure he'd ever feel again. He started to release her, only for her to stop him and pull him closer.

"What were you thinking?" He asked her. "I have the invincibility shield. Why are you always trying to save me?"

"I'm always trying to save you because I think you're worth saving." She said, looking up into his eyes. "And I wasn't thinking. I just did it."

"Does this mean you still love me?" He asked her. Summer nodded in response as a tear came to her eyes.

"I never stopped loving you, that's why all this hurt so much." She replied. "Dillon, we have to be able to talk about anything with each other if this is going to work. We can't deal with things on our own. We're a team..."

"Summer, I'm really sorry about this. When I thought I couldn't give you what you wanted...what you deserved...I panicked." He admitted. "I always wanted you to be happy, even if that wasn't with me."

"How could I be happy with someone else?" She asked him. "Dillon..."

Their eyes connected and they felt a spark between them, as strong as the one the first time they had kissed all that time ago. Their lips connected, and they felt the usual warm rush they always did in each other's arms. They parted as the heat of the flames got more intense, bringing their attention back to their predicament.

"Even with our suits we'd never make it out of here." Dillon told her, recalling his suit. "We're trapped."

"I guess it makes sense we had a chance to talk just before the end." Summer replied as she followed suit. They stared at each other, as Dillon held up the detonator.

"There's just one more thing to do." He replied. "Do you want to do the honours?"

"I guess it brings new meaning to the term going out with a bang." Summer responded as she wrapped her arms around his neck and started to pull him in towards herself for one last kiss. Just then, a torrent of water rushed downwards, drenching both of them. A short time later, a blast heralded the arrival of Ziggy and Flynn.

"A flying Whale Zord, you don't see that every..." Flynn's words tailed off as he saw Dillon and Summer in each other's arms.

"I guess the cold shower wasn't appreciated." Ziggy commented. "We uh...didn't mean to interrupt."

"In the circumstances we'll let it slide." Summer replied. "Now, let's get out of here and blow this place off the face of the earth."

"That sounds like a plan." Dillon replied. "Lead the way beautiful."

Meanwhile, Scott and D46 were still engaged in a ferocious battle, closely matched for power. Scott got just enough room to activate his Street Sabre Strike, smashing D46 to the ground.

"He'll turn on you, I did you a favour, don't you realise that?" He roared.

"We'll dump the supplies we promised you at the rendezvous point." Scott told him. "Unlike you we honour our agreements, but make no mistake, after this our alliance is over."

D46 picked up his sword and prepared to attack Scott as he walked away, but was struck in the chest by an explosion from a grenade. Scott turned to see him, his jacket and shirt having been blasted open and much of his torso scorched.

"Stay the hell away from my son!" Colonel Truman yelled, throwing his helmet aside as he levelled a blaster at him. Marcus could hardly breathe as he saw him. He looked between Scott and the Colonel as he realised he had called the Red Ranger his son. He knew now that this was his brother. "You heard him, our alliance is over. We're taking the refugees and leaving. Take your goods and get out of here before I change my mind and execute you."

Marcus couldn't bring himself to fight them any further and just held up a hand to stay his own troops. He stood and watched as they got into their vehicles and left, taking any chance of bolstering his forces with new recruits with them. Scarlett arrived beside him.

"Get the supplies and move out." He ordered her.

"So you're just letting them take the infiltrator with them?" She asked him. Marcus shook his head as he removed his helmet.

"I just can't do anything right now, but my brethren must still die." He replied. "Now my family's relying on me."


	4. Moving Forward

Flynn drove the Lion Hauler through the gate, bringing the last of the refugees into the city. Soldiers closed the gates and raised the shields as he brought it to a halt by the other trucks. The other refugees had been brought out of the vehicles, and were awaiting processing by the soldiers. Given the fact that over a hundred refugees had been brought back, the processing was going to take a little longer than normal.

Once the last of the refugees had disembarked from the Lion Hauler, he recalled it, before de-morphing, joining the others in a clearing a little way from the processing zone.

"Well this was certainly a productive day." He chirped cheerfully as he looked around smiling. "We've destroyed a weapons factory, saved a bunch of slaves..."

"Stolen ourselves a brand new kick-ass zord!" Ziggy interrupted him, bounding around excitedly.

"I'd say we all gained a lot today." Scott responded. "I just really wish D46 hadn't turned on us. He could have been a helpful ally in destroying the other installations."

"I know I'd like to have a few words with him." Summer snorted, kicking some dirt as she remembered the explosion burying them inside the factory.

"Personally I always believe in looking at the bright side of things." Flynn commented, giving Dillon and Summer a knowing wink. Summer blushed and shifted awkwardly while Dillon just pretended not to notice. "We've done a lot of good here today. Personally I'm up for celebrating a little. Who's with me?"

"Sounds good..."

"...to us!" Gemma yelled bounding up and down. She grabbed Hicks by the arm as he directed refugees and almost yanked him off his feet, pulling him over. "Would you and the Colonel like to join us?"

"I'm afraid we have a lot of work to do here." Hicks told her, whipping his arm away and turning back to his duties, shaking his head in disbelief, but with a little smirk on his face. Her childish manner was so amusing that it was impossible to be annoyed at being distracted. "Unlike you Rangers, the rest of us don't just get to go home after blowing stuff up. These people won't be housed by themselves."

"You kids just run along and have fun." Colonel Truman said to his son, patting him on the back. "That's an order. We can catch up later."

"You heard the man, we're ordered to go and have fun." Scott told them all with a huge grin. "Come on, we can hit the store on the way. We're going to need a serious amount of beer."

Back at the Garage, Dr. K and Tenaya awaited the return of the Rangers, while Sam continued working on her own project. Chas was sitting on the couch, flicking absent-mindedly through TV channels as he awaited some good news over his situation. Brie was with him. Dr. K came over to Sam's side, taking a look over her shoulder at the computer screen.

"Are you making any progress?" Dr. K asked her. Sam just sighed and shook her head.

"I'm still waiting on the computer giving me a complete rundown on Chas' blood sample. I've got it checking for everything." She replied. "I don't expect to find much more than the original test though."

"What about the Dr?" Dr. K asked. Sam shook her head again.

"It's like he disappeared off the face of the earth." She replied. "There's no security footage of him at the clinic, no employment records...no one there even says they've seen him, never mind that he works there. I can't find a medical degree, passport, driver's licence...I can't even find a damned birth certificate for him!"

"So what are you looking at?" Dr. K asked her. "Forensics?"

"I wish, whoever planted that stuff was way too careful for that." Sam grumbled. "Skin, hair, blood...all of those things are easy to trace. I'm stuck chasing a bloody paper trail."

"What paper trail?" Dr. K asked her.

"Chas said there's some kind of business connection between his dad and Fresno Bob from way back. He thinks that Fresno Bob might have something to do with what happened." Sam informed her. "I'm trying to see if I can link them somehow, but all I can find is a few sums of money going between businesses they both own going back years. Nothing incriminating and certainly nothing recent enough to look like a payment."

"How long ago do these transactions go?" Dr. K asked her, checking another computer.

"The first transaction was a number of payments made from Winchester to Fresno Bob almost 23 years ago." She answered. "Together they total...whoa! He gave him nearly 15 million dollars!"

"The archive says that coincides with the time the Scorpion Cartel started to muscle in on the other Cartels' territory." Dr. K confirmed. "In one night they doubled the size of their territory and holdings. Military grade weapons were used; the others didn't stand a chance."

"So Winchester's money armed them?" Sam asked in surprise.

"We can't prove it, but it would explain a lot." Dr. K told her. "As much as I'm not accustomed to intellectual leaps of faith without hard evidence to back it up, it seems like as logical a theory as any other."

"Fresno Bob never repaid a fraction of that money." Sam responded. "What could he possibly have been holding over him?"

"I think I know." Dr. K answered as she printed off a report from the blood sample. "I think we might be able to clear Chas after all."

Sam checked the readout, only to look at Dr. K a little surprised, but no less confused.

"I think we might be able to convince them to clear Chas and play fair from now on." Dr. K told her, grabbing her travelling cloak. "Come on Sam, it's time I introduced you to another of my talents, blackmail."

Flynn and the others all arrived back a little while later, finding Tenaya alone in the Garage. They looked around a little curiously, wondering why it was so quiet.

"Hey where is everyone?" Scott asked her as she bounced over to Ziggy's side, grabbing him tightly in her excitement at having him returned to her.

"Aye, I was kind of hoping my favourite forensic scientist was hanging about." Flynn commented. "It's been one of those days; I think everyone could use someone to cuddle up to."

Gem, Gemma and Scott all gave him withering looks. Of the team, they were the only singletons. They didn't notice that Summer and Dillon hadn't joined them in this display.

"What?" He asked them innocently. The group all made their way to the main area to relax after the mission.

"Dr. K said she had something important to do about Chas' case." Tenaya replied with a shrug. "Sam went with her, but she asked me to tell you she'd be back in a 'wee while'."

"Well, there's no reason not to get a start on things." Flynn remarked. "I saw a load of candy in the cupboards."

As he went with Summer to get the snacks, Dillon gestured to Tenaya and nodded his head aside, indicating he wanted to talk to her. She disentangled herself from Ziggy's arms and went with him as he pulled her aside for privacy.

"When we were out in the factory, Summer and I got trapped in the factory. We thought we were goners." He told her. "We got a chance to talk."

"That's good to know." She replied. "Is everything alright between you?"

"I'm not sure, but I think at least we've made a start." He told her with a small shrug. "Anyway, among the wreckage, I found something that I think you'll like."

He reached into is pocket, pulling out a silver chain, on the end of which, was a small silver key, just like the on he wore around his neck.

"You found this?" She asked him, feeling a memory tugging at her mind as she took it from him, turning it over in her fingers. The feel of it, its weight and its texture all elicited a warm feeling in her as she closed her eyes, her mind moving backwards. "This is mine. I can remember everything about how it, even the three links that were repaired. I wore it everyday."

"It's the other key to the watch." He reminded her. "We each wore one, it was a connection we had. It looks like we spent time as prisoners in that factory before we were taken to be made into…well…"

Tenaya opened her eyes and looked up to him smiling. She felt the connection as she considered the small piece of jewellery. He carried the watch and one of the keys, and she carried the other key. It was a sentimental piece between them, even now when they still didn't know who they truly were. They couldn't mistake the feeling.

"I figured you might like to wear it." He stated. Tenaya thought about it for a second, before shaking her head. While she couldn't deny feeing some attachment to this little key, she didn't feel like the person who carried it anymore.

"Thank you, but no." She replied, handing it to him. "I know it did symbolise a connection between us, but I don't think I need it. I can feel a connection between us, a strong connection."

"So why don't you want it?" He asked her. Tenaya smiled and pulled him in closer.

"We'll always have that connection. I don't need a key for that." She replied. "But I think there is someone it might mean more to."

She jerked her head to the kitchenette where Summer was helping Flynn gather chips and candy. Dillon gave her a little smile as he saw her.

"She is special." He told her. "Just like the girl that wore this key."

"Maybe it's time someone else wore it." She suggested. "Good luck bro."

With that, she went back over to the couch, sitting on Ziggy's lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling in close to him. As Dillon made his way past into the kitchen, he couldn't help clearing his throat to distract them. Ziggy shoved her quickly from his lap onto the seat beside him and retrieved his hands, looking slightly worried.

"Ignore him Ziggy." She giggled, taking delight in his cute attempt to keep things running smoothly between himself, Tenaya and Ziggy. "He's just teasing."

"Um…what makes you so sure?" He asked her. She leant across, whispering in his ear.

"Because he knows if he messes with my boyfriend I could detach my hand and put pepper in his underwear drawer." She whispered, before kissing his cheek. Ziggy turned to her and pulled in, only to be interrupted as Flynn came over, carrying snacks.

"I really am not having a good day for ruining moments." He commented. Ziggy and Tenaya just giggled while Gem and Gemma finally looked out something to play on the stereo and started dancing.

Night was beginning to fall as Fresno Bob arrived in his office, finding Mr. Winchester sitting in his chair, drinking some Brandy.

"Haven't I told you about this before?" He complained. "What do you want Winchester?"

"What do you mean? You're the one that called me!" Mr. Winchester replied, putting his glass down. "You called me ten minutes ago. You said you wanted to talk."

"I never called you!" He exclaimed, coming to the desk. Just then there was a knock on the door. They both turned to see Dr. K and Sam entering the office.

"You're the little girl that blasted my V.I.P. box!" Fresno Bob gasped, remembering the time she rescued Ziggy from the Cartels.

"That is correct. I am also the one who called Mr. Winchester, only using a voice modifier to make myself sound like you. Sorry about the ruse, I simply wanted both of you here." She began, making her way to the desk. "We're here to talk about your son."

"Chas?" Mr. Winchester asked. "What about him?"

"We know you both set him up." Sam chipped in. "The pieces don't add up."

"Look ladies, not that I'm saying any of this is true, but what proof do you have?" Fresno Bob asked them. "If you had anything you'd go straight to the Colonel, or the Rangers."

"While it is true that we do not have any evidence that will be admissible in court, we are confident that what we have will cast doubt." Dr. K said confidently. "After all, we know something that will make you want to clear his name."

"Presuming that any of this is anything other than an entertaining bedtime story, why would I want to do that?" Mr Winchester chuckled. "Chas has less chance of winning the election than Venjix! Now, if you wouldn't mind taking this little side show home, I think bowl-cut here is looking tired. It's past her bed-time."

"I am not a child, I'm 18!" Dr. K shrieked defensively. She looked around, seeing the other three just staring at her. "I'll be 19 in a few weeks."

"Anyway, we never expected you to want to clear Chas." Sam said, shaking her head slightly at Dr. K's outburst. "He will."

"Now why would I want to do that?" Fresno Bob asked her sarcastically. "Winchester and I have an understanding…"

"You have an understanding based on a lie." Dr. K told him. "Didn't you ever wonder why he lent you all that money when you were expanding the Scorpion Cartel?"

Sam slipped him a folder, which he looked at, reading it, though clearly becoming a little confused.

"Is this even in English?" He asked. Dr. K rolled her eyes as though he had asked her to explain the plot of a "Where's Waldo" book.

"Mr. Winchester was so concerned with his image; he needed to distract you so that you wouldn't figure out his biggest secret." Dr. K explained. "He never wanted anyone to find out the truth about his family. It was so important to him that you kept your distance by being so wrapped up in your gang war that you'd never figure out the secret that would have tarnished the Winchester name."

"What are you talking about?" Fresno Bob asked her. He looked at Mr. Winchester, who seemed to be adjusting the collar of his shirt nervously.

"They have nothing!" He snapped as he reached for the Brandy. "They're just trying to rattle us…"

"Charles, what are they talking about?" The mobster asked him. He had been in organised crime long enough to have a good idea about the psychology of body language, especially when someone was fearful or was hiding something.

"Chas isn't his son." Sam answered, turning to the old gangster. "He's yours."

Fresno Bob just looked stunned by the revelation. Was it true? He took the folder and tried to read it again.

"They're lying!" Mr. Winchester snarled, ripping it away and throwing it aside. "I told you then, I knew that having one large Cartel in the city was less chaotic. I could see the value in your plan to bring the city under one rule. All the businesses would only have one organisation to pay protection to. There'd be no wars in the streets. No one would have to grow up worried about going out on the streets like you told me you were as a kid…"

"Chas was born…" Fresno Bob mumbled as he cast his mind back. It had never occurred to him before. He had known Mr. Winchester long before he bankrolled his campaign, and his offer to help had come at an opportune time. Thinking back though, he was so caught up in the operation of directing the near year-long gang war that followed that he had little time for anything else, including the affair he'd been involved in with Mrs. Winchester. Little Chas had been born less than a year after their affair had ended.

"Mr. Winchester knew all along." Dr. K informed him. "He wanted to raise Chas to be the heir to the Winchester fortune, but acknowledging that he was yours would just make him look bad to all his rich friends, by making his wife's affair public knowledge."

"This is all a trick Bob!" Mr. Winchester hissed angrily. "They're just trying to mess with us…"

"It all fits." He muttered. "I've…I've had my own son poisoned with that…filth! I've turned him into an addict!"

"Shut up Bob!" Mr. Winchester snapped, slamming down his glass. "You and I made a deal!"

"The deal's off!" Fresno Bob roared in response, grabbing the socialite and ramming him against a wall hard. "You know what the neighbourhood I grew up in was like. The only thing we had was family! I'd never have laid a hand on him if I knew!"

He spun around, throwing him onto the floor with a loud thud, causing Benny to come in to see what the noise was about. Fresno Bob knelt down by his business associate, his face one of cold, hard malice.

"This whole thing with Chas will be cleared up tomorrow. How, you don't need to know. Just know that by the time the evening paper's out tomorrow, this whole thing will be over." He warned him. "After that, this election is going to be fought fair and square. If anything happens to him, I don't care what you've done for me in the past, or what happens to me. I guarantee you that no one will ever find your body. Benny, get this piece of crap out of here. If he ever comes back…"

Benny looked completely confused as he complied with the request, leaving Fresno Bob alone with them. He poured himself a drink.

"I guess you ran his blood sample against the DNA database." He surmised.

"That's correct." Dr. K told him. "We had no idea you even had children, never mind two."

"If Chas doesn't know about me and neither does his brother." Fresno Bob told them.

"So you knew about…"

"I grew up in a really bad neighbourhood." Fresno Bob interrupted Dr. K, beginning to explain. "Kids carried guns to grade school. Drugs poisoned everything. Three kids a week were getting shot. There wasn't a single person there that didn't know someone who had been killed." He told them. "My dad ran a little shop. It wasn't much, just a general store. It barely earned enough for us to eat after he paid all the gangs protection money, but he always swore he'd earn honest money. It didn't do him much good though. Some 14 year old kid shot him when he robbed the register. He killed my dad for 15 dollars and 23 cents."

"That sounds pretty bad." Sam commented. Fresno Bob nodded.

"I wanted to be a cop; I wanted to make sure that what happened to my dad never happened again. To get all the dealers and punks out of my neighbourhood, but they were all too scared to come to my side of town. That's what I thought anyway." He continued with his story. "I once saw a cop being given a load of money by a dealer, and I realised, they weren't afraid. They were being paid off. How could anyone be safe if the cops wouldn't come and clean up the streets? That's when I met my predecessor, Ice Pick."

"You joined a gang." Sam stated. Fresno Bob nodded to confirm it.

"He had taken more blocks than any other gang. It was then that I saw the way forward. In my street alone there were three gangs. Since only Ice Pick's gang walked those streets, there were no gunfights. Everyone there was safe. I realised that if the police can't make the city safe, then the next best thing is to have the biggest gang." He explained. "Since I took over and took control of my city, things improved dramatically. When I got to Corinth, the first thing I did was broker the deals with the other Cartels. War's bad for business…but also bad for families."

"What about your family?" Dr. K asked him.

"When Ziggy was born, I had him put in the orphanage. I didn't want him to be involved in any of this." He explained. "When he got old enough that he started getting into trouble, I took him in. Why do you think I kept him around s much despite how much he screwed up?"

"The Cartels wanted him ghosted." Sam reminded him.

"Even I couldn't prevent that without looking weak." He told them sadly. He sank into his chair and looked up at them, sinking the contents of his glass in one gulp. "I needed to let them go after him, but I protected him as much as I could. My own guys were only to beat the location of the goods out of him. As for when you blew up my V.I.P. box? Do you really think it was a coincidence Benny came to the Ranger Base?"

He poured another glass and looked up at them.

"Neither of them knows the truth. They've gone this long without knowing, it's probably best they don't find out now. Please, promise me you won't tell them." He asked them.

"Once Chas is cleared, we'll have no reason to." Dr. K told him. "It would only cause them undue distress. We have no desire to do that."

"Thank you." He replied, turning his chair around, looking out the window. "I pray for it, you know that right?"

"Pray for what?" Sam asked him. "Getting your sons back?"

"No, I already know that's too much to ask." He said with a weak laugh. "I pray that one day the Colonel will succeed in stabilising the city."

He turned back to them and smiled. "I pray for the day people like me are no longer needed."


	5. The Boom Happy Twins

It was early evening by the time Dr. K and Sam arrived back at the Garage, finding the celebrations well under way. Gem was playing pool with Scott, while Gemma was sitting in the corner with a sketch book, dreamily scribbling away with colouring pencils and crayons. Ziggy and Tenaya were sitting on the couch, Tenaya with one arm around his shoulders. It took a second for Dr. K to realise this was because she had detached her hand and was using it to flick through the TV channels for something to watch. Clearly they had misplaced the remote again.

"Hey there darlin' you missed the start of the party." Flynn greeted his girlfriend with a kiss. Dr. K couldn't help feeling a little jealous about the closeness they shared, and felt the uncomfortable knotting in her stomach again. She cast a glance over to where Scott had just sunk the black ball, beating Gem. As he flashed a bright smile in his celebration, she wished that smile was directed at her.

"Sorry, Dr. K and I had something important to do." She told him. "I think we might just have resolved the whole Chas thing."

"Really?" He asked her. "How did you manage that?"

"Let's just say tomorrow's paper should be interesting." She replied. "Now, where's the wine. I could use a drink."

Dr. K watched as Gem and Scott racked up another game, before coming over to sit by Gemma, who was busy humming as she continued to draw. She leaned across to take a look at her drawing.

"What is it?" Dr. K asked her. Gemma blushed a little as she slipped it a little closer. It showed two stick people, one with long hair scribbled on top of its head, standing holding hands. The figures were surrounded by love hearts, flowers and rainbows. There was a brightly coloured house in the background behind them. Dr. K looked at the drawing and forced a smile. It was pretty clear what it meant.

"You've been having a crush on someone?" Dr. K asked her. Gemma nodded in response, playing with her hair nervously.

"I don't know what to do. Any time I'm around him I just feel really queasy and I can't think straight." She told her best friend excitedly. She leaned across, taking Dr. K's hand. "Do you think...you know...he might think...I'm pretty?"

"Gemma, I think he's bound to think you're attractive." Dr. K sighed, taking a look over at Scott. He waved over to them, to which Gemma responded by waving frantically, bouncing a little. Dr. K just felt a little frustration building. As much as she liked Gemma, there was a part of her that was becoming deeply resentful of the attention she was getting from Scott.

"What do you think I should do?" Gemma asked her. "I've never felt this way about a guy before. I can't talk to him..."

"Maybe you should get a hold of him alone and show him your drawing." Dr. K suggested with a small grin. "I'm sure he'd like it."

"You really think so?" Gemma asked her. Dr. K put her arm around her.

"I'm sure it'll make just the right impression on him." She replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I just need to make a shopping list. It seems the Rangers have been helping themselves to my candy."

Meanwhile, Summer and Dillon made their way onto the roof of the Garage for some privacy. He had wanted a chance to talk to her since their moment at the factory. She took a seat on a short wall, looking up at him as he started pacing, trying to find the words to begin.

"Summer, about everything that happened I really am sorry." He told her, running a hand through his hair. "I'm really sorry about anything I've done to hurt you."

"Dillon, you already explained, you don't have to go over this again." She assured him. "That moment between us back at the factory cleared a lot of things up."

"It didn't clear up everything." He reminded her. "I know it'll take a while, I know we have to take things slowly, I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me."

"Dillon I do know." She replied softly, taking his hand. "It's the one thing I've never doubted. I know things between us are a little strained, but we both know we still have each other."

"Well it's that connection I wanted to talk to you about." He stated, pulling out the key necklace and showing it to her. "When we found this in the factory, I knew right away it belonged to my sister. It was something that we shared; each of us had a key for it."

"That's really sweet." Summer commented. "So are you going to give it back to her?"

"Actually there was someone else I wanted to give it to." He said with a smile, unhooking the clasp. "Ever since we met, I've felt drawn to you. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you or stopped wanting to be a part of your life since then. This watch was the only thing I had that I cared about. Now I want you to share that connection."

Summer turned around and lifted up her hair, allowing him to fit it around her neck. She smiled as she inspected the little key. It was a tiny little thing, but it meant the world to her that he would entrust her with something so precious to him.

"I love you Summer." He whispered as he looked deeply into her eyes. "I always will."

With that, she reached around behind his neck, and pulled him down into a long, passionate kiss, before wrapping her arms around him and holding him tightly. She knew there was still a way to go before they would be back to the point they had reached, but as long as they were willing to take it slowly, she was confident that things would work out. She loved him so much, she could never imagine wanting anyone else.

Around midnight, Dr. Williams was sitting in his safe-house, watching television and drinking a few beers. Following the set-up, it was essential for him to disappear off the grid, and so he was holed up in an apartment far from prying eyes, and he was scheduled to see a plastic surgeon in the morning.

As he was preparing for bed, the door suddenly flew off its hinges into the apartment. He rushed towards the coffee table, where a silenced pistol was sitting, but the man who kicked the door in was too quick for him, hitting him with a tazer.

As he hit the floor, another man came into the apartment, and they pinned him to the floor. As he struggled, he realised that they were both members of the Scorpion Cartel.

"What the hell is this?" He screamed struggling against the gorillas restraining him. Fresno Bob stepped into the room, straightening his tie.

"There's been a change of plans Dr. Williams." Fresno Bob informed him. "Tomorrow morning, you'll go to the military and give them this confession. It covers everything and will completely clear Winchester's name while also keeping myself and his father clear."

"I did everything you wanted." Dr. Williams reminded him. "I did everything you asked, why would I do this?"

"You've earned plenty of money from me over the years patching up my guys." The old gang boss stated flatly. "You give that confession, and you will still receive the payment for doing this job for me. If you don't...you know what means I have at my disposal."

"I'll go to prison!" He complained. "I'll have my medical licence taken away!"

"If you don't, you'll wish you were dead long before you die." Bob warned him. "I think what I'm paying you is worth a couple of years inside, and once you get out I'm sure my organisation will still need a patch up man. You know I'll pay well for your services, and I wouldn't need a medical licence."

The two men allowed him up as Fresno Bob gestured to them that it was time to leave.

"I don't understand. You wanted Chas' good name torched." Dr. Williams stated as he composed himself. "What changed?"

"All you need to know is that I changed my mind." Fresno Bob warned him. "Read that, memorise it and then find your way to the nearest guard post. If I don't read about your confession in the morning paper...well...you don't need to be alive to clear his name."

The following morning, Ziggy and Scott went shopping for groceries. Scott followed Ziggy as he went immediately to the sweet section of the shop, looking around excitedly. He started shovelling things into the basket. Scott shook his head in disbelief.

"Ziggy, I know we cleaned out all the candy last night, but I don't think this is what Dr. K meant when she asked us to re-stock the kitchen." Scott reprimanded him.

"Actually this is Dr. K's shopping list; it seems the sour doc has a very sweet tooth." Ziggy replied, handing him the shopping list. Scott read through it, laughing as he realised Ziggy was right. The list comprised mostly of re-stocking the sweet cabinet, with only a few other items to collect. "I only noticed afterwards that most of the candy we took didn't belong to any of us."

"So all of that was Dr. K's?" Scott asked with a small chuckle. "I knew she had a few eccentricities, but I never would have thought she's have this much of a sweet tooth. How does she eat all of this stuff and stay so tiny?"

"Scott, I think something's going down." Ziggy told him as two men came into the store. "They're Yo-Yo Brothers."

"It looks like they're holding up the place." Scott stated. "Ziggy, distract them while I cover the door."

Ziggy picked up a can of whipped cream and walked over with a smirk on his face. He could see that neither of them was armed, and they were clearly using intimidation to muscle the teller into opening the register.

"A little faster!" One of them yelled at her as she started putting money into a bag. Ziggy approached the desk, holding the can up.

"I'm sorry to be a bother, but this cream is way past its use by date." Ziggy told her, before doing a double-take as he recognised the gangster yelling at the teller.

"Ziggy?" He asked him, looking a little confused. Ziggy smiled at him.

"Is that Knuckles Nelson?" He asked in response. "I thought Fresno Bob had you ghosted a long time ago."

Knuckles just smiled at him and advanced. Ziggy, not intimidated, just sprayed the cream in his face. He and Scott quickly took the thugs down. Scott came over to Ziggy, clearly impressed with his work.

"You're training's really paying off." He complimented the Green Ranger. "You did really well."

"Thanks, I like to think I'm pulling my weight." Ziggy told him, squirting some cream into his mouth, only to spit it out again shortly afterwards, finding out to his disgust that the cream really was out of date.

Just then, the doors flew off their hinges, heralding the arrival of the Gold and Silver Rangers. Scott just stared at them curiously.

"What are you doing here?" He asked them.

"We saw from across the street..."

"...And wanted to get a piece of the action!" Gemma concluded. Unfortunately the chaos of their arrival created enough of a distraction for Knuckles and his partner to make a run for it. Ziggy and Scott headed off in hot pursuit, followed closely by Gem and Gemma.

Chas woke up late that morning. While he was off active service to go through rehab, he had found long lies to be one of his biggest luxuries. He was ripped from his sleep as Brie bounded into the room, throwing herself onto the bed and kissing him excitedly.

"Whoa, not that I mind being disturbed like that, but what's the story?" He asked his fiancée as she released him. Brie shoved a newspaper into his chest.

"Your name's been cleared." Brie told him happily. "According to this Dr. Williams walked into a guard station this morning and confessed to everything."

"Really?" He asked her, taking the newspaper and beginning to read through the article. He couldn't understand what would lead to something like this happening. He had already conceded that without finding Dr. Williams, there was almost no chance that he would ever be cleared.

Now though, Dr. Williams had walked in and voluntarily given himself up. He had detailed everything in his confession about when and how he had systematically built Chas' dependence on painkillers. It seemed like he had worked alone, and was taking sole responsibility for the entire thing. This was suspicious in and of itself; it made no sense for him to do this. He had no reason to do it, and certainly had nothing to gain by confessing.

"Why would he do this?" Chas asked her. "What does he gain out of any of this?"

"Who cares Chas? You're name's been cleared!" She reminded him. "People now know that you didn't do any of these things. Now you can concentrate on getting better."

Back at the Garage, the Rangers were all gathered around Gem and Gemma after the debacle at the store. Hicks and a couple of other soldiers had gone with them to debrief them after the gangsters were arrested.

Gem and Gemma were working on something with their colouring pencils as Scott paced back and forth. He tried to find a way to reach them following the incident. Gemma cast a couple of little glances over to Hicks, and even waved at him weakly, giving him a small smile. He waved back briefly, before turning back to his comrades.

"Look, you can't just do that!" He called out in his exasperation. Dr. K watched on from the corner as he scolded them. A part of her felt badly for her friends, seeing them pouting at their reprimand like a couple of young children, though something kept her from intervening. Seeing the look on Gemma's face as Scott told them off gave her a slight sense of satisfaction. The way Scott was talking to her seemed to make a part of her feel strangely at ease with the situation involving them.

"Do..."

"...What?" Gem asked him. Scott shook his head in disbelief.

"Shoot first and ask questions later." He replied. "We had taken care of those guys, they were down. If they had been armed..."

"But they weren't..."

"You kicked the door off its hinges for no reason!" He reminded them.

"Yeah, it went flying..."

"...boom!" Gemma screamed, high-fiving her brother. Scott just shook his head in disbelief.

"It's like talking to children!" He grumbled. The twins looked at each other, a little disappointed that he still seemed to be mad at them for some reason.

"We're sorry Scott..."

"...We promise we'll stop doing it..."

"...Whatever it is we're doing." Gemma replied with a pout. Scott gave a small laugh and came closer, looking at them both with a smile.

"Just...try to contain yourselves." He told them. "Now, the door to that shop was damaged. Why don't you go and fix it, then we'll say no more about it."

Gem and Gemma nodded excitedly and started to leave the Garage; only Gemma stopped a little way outside the Garage, and reached into her pocket, finding the picture she drew the night before. She had forgotten to give it to him. Now though it looked like this might be the perfect opportunity.

"Gem, go ahead I'll catch up to you." She told him. "I just have something to do quickly."

She made her way back into the room, finding Hicks discussing something with Scott and Flynn. The others had all parted to attend to their respective chores. Flynn handed Hicks a coffee.

"Well it looks like someone has a new groupie." Flynn told Hicks. "You seem to have caught a certain Silver Ranger's eye."

Gemma grinned as she heard them say this, looking down to the drawing.

"Yeah I'd kind of noticed the female Bates twin had started fluttering her eyelashes at me." He replied in a chuckle.

"Bates?" Scott asked him.

"Yeah, as in Norman and Norma Bates." He told him. "You have to admit they have that kind of psycho thing going on. The explosions and such like. They're like serial killers on happy pills."

Gemma stopped as she heard this, feeling hurt by his careless words. He had no idea she was within earshot.

"Also, what's with the pencils and the sound effects and everything? She's like a hyperactive 8 year old." He continued. "Also, that twin-speak thing? I'd feel like I was dating both of them. Now that's a scary thought."

Gemma by now had heard more than enough. She bowed her head, her heart completely crushed by what she had heard. As she left, she looked down on the drawing and wept. Her tears dripped slowly from her chin to the paper, soaking it. In her frustration she tore it up, carelessly tossing the pieces aside and ran down the street, unable to stop herself from crying.


	6. The Wonder Twins Try Again

Gemma arrived at the store quite a bit later, finding Gem struggling to fix the door they had broken by himself. He muttered something to himself as he tried and failed yet again to line up the hinge.

"It's about time, could you help me?" He asked her as she arrived. Gemma just nodded wordlessly, picking up a screwdriver and handing it to him as she held the door.

"A little to the left." He instructed her. "No, your other left!"

Gemma struggled with the door to line it up properly as he started to work with his screwdriver to try and secure it. He let out a small grunt as he started to tighten it up.

"It's a lot more fun breaking things than fixing them isn't it?" He asked her. Gemma couldn't answer though. She was still far too upset after overhearing Hicks making fun of her.

It was the first time she'd experienced a crush. She couldn't concentrate properly when she was around him. There was an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach when she thought about him, and whenever she saw him, it was like nothing else made much sense.

Dr. K had recommended that she show him the picture she had drawn of them. She trusted Dr. K, they had been friends for years, and so when she had the chance she had gone back to give it to Hicks. That was when she heard him talking to Scott and Flynn.

He knew that she liked him, he told them he had figured that out, but he didn't return those feelings. He thought of her as a child, he treated her as a joke. She could remember every devastating word, and every one hurt her deeply.

"Gemma, are you listening to me?" He asked her. Gemma forced a weak smile and looked up at him.

"Yes, of course." She replied, taking the screwdriver off him and using it to tighten the screws on the lower hinge. She considered what had happened, trying to figure out what she could have done wrong. She didn't know why Hicks would hate her so much and say those things about her. She knew that she wasn't as grown up as the others, but that was just part of who she and Gem were.

They had been adopted illegally as infants, and raised from birth in the Alphabet Soup programme. They had never known life outside its walls. While they were well educated, their early intelligence tests had found them to be below the standards they used for research and development, and so all of their upbringing had been geared towards making them ideal test subjects. Strong, fit and intelligent enough to understand the technology they were operating on a basic level, but with little or no thought for their own welfare. Whereas Dr. K and her fellow technicians were brought up with a focus on developing their academic and creative instincts, Gem and Gemma were largely raised to follow stimulation and positive reinforcement. They were always brought up as children, and encouraged to see everything as a game.

She and Gem were both intelligent, not on the level of Dr. K, but their approach to everything, shaped by their upbringing was different. To them everything was to be exciting and fulfilling. They weren't to question whether a new weapon was safe, or if it would withstand the rigours of battle, they were just to treat it as a game, and find out.

She had never felt badly about herself before. She had never had a reason to. Even when they were imprisoned in the factory by Venjix, and forced to work in conditions that quickly broke the will and resolve of many people, they had always been able to smile through it all. Now though, she saw herself in a new light. She was not the valuable, beloved test subject that Alphabet Soup had raised her to be. She wasn't the warrior who had waged a merciless and brutal two person war on Venjix without support for longer than anyone should have been able to survive. She was an object of ridicule. She was a joke.

She had heard harsh and unkind words before, but usually she could just shrug them off. Even her best friend, Dr. K had said directly that she didn't like her after receiving her first ever birthday present. This was different though, because this time she took the words to heart. Even when Dr. K distanced herself from them, she respected their work, and their contribution to the project. Hicks though made her feel like she didn't matter.

"Gem, Gemma are you finished with the door?" Flynn asked them as he arrived in his newly repaired hummer. It had taken him and his dad a long time to virtually rebuild it from the ground up after the chase from central command. "Dr. K wants us to try putting together that new megazord configuration. Are you finished here?"

Gemma's face lit up as she heard this. As much as she was still hurt over the incident with Hicks earlier, she was still eager to try out the power of the new weapon Dr. K had been running simulations on. She leapt up from the ground and started bouncing with excitement.

"That sounds..."

"...like fun!" Gem concluded. They both hopped into the back of Flynn's hummer, at which he drove off. About a minute after they left, the door fell back off its hinges.

"So much for fixing the damage they caused." The store owner grumbled as he came out, inspecting the doors. "Bloody maniacs!"

Chas was busy meeting with members of the press, following the revelation of his innocence outside a large public park inside Corinth. He was there to co-ordinate the efforts of the military to evacuate and secure the park for the zord testing. Dr. K knew that they needed a vast area of unoccupied land in which to conduct the merging tests. This made the park the perfect location...presuming no one got too close.

"Mr. Winchester..."

"Chas." He corrected one of the reporters.

"Chas, since Dr. Williams has confessed to the crimes for which you were accused and the justice department has officially closed the case, are you going to be continuing your campaign to become Mayor?" He asked. Chas laughed slightly, causing everyone near him to join in.

"I have to admit that at times I strongly considered pulling out, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank those that sent me messages of support during this difficult time." He began. "However, my name is still on the campaign schedule, and while I respect my opponent, I still believe that I could better serve the people of Corinth. It is for that reason; I have elected to resume my campaign."

"Chas, given your noticeable from the public eye, together with the fact your opponent, your own father already has a noticeable lead in the opinion polls, how do you plan to get back into the race?" Another reporter asked him.

"Well unless I'm very much mistaken, there are another couple of weeks left, and as we know anything can happen in politics." Chas told her in response. "In the meantime, let us direct our attention to one of my key campaign points, our dedication to the protection of Corinth, which is why I've lobbied to have the park cordoned off for this vital test of Dr. K's new zord technology."

Just then, Flynn and the twins arrived. Chas couldn't believe the good fortune of the timing. He gestured towards them as they arrived.

"Now, let's hear it for three of our esteemed Rangers!" He announced, gesturing towards them. Flynn and Gem waved excitedly, but Gemma couldn't bring herself to. Hicks was standing next to Chas. Just looking at him brought back everything he had said to her. He waved to them, but thought it was curious that Gemma didn't respond. She just didn't seem to have the same enthusiasm about her she usually did.

They arrived in the park where the others were already assembled and morphed. They quickly morphed and joined them.

"Rangers, today we're going to try and assemble all the megazords into the new Sky Rev Megazord configuration, combining the might of all the current Zords."

Gemma took a quick glance over to where Hicks was standing, watching them with a slight look of awe on his face, as he watched on. That's when she got a little smile on her face. She knew that he often spent much of his time whenever he came to the Ranger base touching and fiddling with the equipment there.

It drove Dr. K insane, but he was obsessed with it. She didn't understand why, it wasn't like the technology was complicated. It was just a biomechanical integration of animal DNA base codes combined with nano technology pulled together by a manipulation of the unseen electromagnetic energy grid to eliminate the need for an external power source. It wasn't a hard concept to understand, she and Gem had been operating it since their early teens. However, he seemed to look at it as though it was some mystifying thing beyond comprehension.

That was how she could impress him, show him that she was more than the joke he believed her to be. If she could demonstrate her ability to master the series technology, then he was bound to take her seriously. As Gem nudged her with his elbow, she looked back to the Rangers and only just realised that Dr. K had been talking the whole time. She hadn't been paying attention properly.

"So did you get that?" Scott asked her. Gemma just nodded and gave him a thumbs up. She didn't want to admit that she hadn't been listening. She was sure she would get the idea while she was in the zord. Things always seemed so much less complicated there.

The Rangers called all of the zords, forming them into the individual megazord configurations, eliciting a cheer from the crowds that had assembled to watch the tests. They moved into positions, the Valvemax and the High Octane megazords either side of the Mach megazord. Gemma switched her screen to the crowd, observing Hicks' reaction.

"Commencing Sky Rev Configuration tests." Dr. K announced over the comm.-link.

"Moving into position." Scott responded.

"Roger Red." Dillon added. The three zords lined up, ready for the beginning of the sequence.

"Remember Rangers, if you do not co-ordinate the move perfectly, then the bio fields will not allow for synchronisation." She reminded them.

"Don't worry Dr. K; it's just like riding a bike." Ziggy assured her.

"Yes, but most bikes will not collide with enough force to send all of you airborne." Dr. K snapped in response. Gemma only heard the word airborne and immediately pulled back on the controls, sending the Mach megazord high into the air as the Valvemax and High Octane megazords rushed towards it, leaving them to slam into each other, causing a tremendous explosion.

The zords went into failure and were recalled to the repair bay, sending the other Rangers spilling to the ground and de-morphing them. Gemma just collapsed onto the control console as she realised that she had messed up the sequencing.

"Sky Rev Sequence failure logged at 0800 hours." Dr. K said in a sigh, reading the damage reports to the zords. "Further testing aborted."

Meanwhile, down on the ground, Flynn helped Summer back to her feet, while Scott dusted himself off. Dillon and Ziggy rushed over, straightening themselves out as they arrived.

"Is everyone alright?" Dillon asked as he approached Summer, checking over her. She just rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine Dillon." She grumbled. "I'm not made of glass."

"We're all OK." Scott told them as they took stock of the incident. Chas, Hicks and several soldiers ran onto the scene.

"What the hell happened here?" Chas asked them. "Are all of you alright?"

"We're just fine Chas." Ziggy answered him. Gem and Gemma arrived at that point, still morphed and running into view. "We'll be fine once we find out what the hell the boom happy twins were up to."

"The two of you, get back to the Garage now!" Scott ordered them. Gem and Gemma de-morphed and followed him; their heads hung low in shame. Gemma in particular was upset about the inevitable telling off to come. She knew that it was her fault the morph sequence failed, and that Gem was only staying quiet because he didn't want her to face that alone.

"Hicks go with them. See if there's anything we can do to help Dr. K." Colonel Truman ordered him. Hicks just saluted and went with them. Chas groaned as he saw the crowd outside busy discussing what they had seen. The reporters in particular seemed to be busy, many of them already setting up cameras to shoot reports from the scene. Colonel Truman just put a hand on his shoulder.

"Well that wasn't exactly ideal." He told the younger man.

"I'm sure my dad's somewhere laughing his ass off about this." Chas grumbled. "He's more interested in me looking bad than the development of Corinth's defences."

"Well this isn't your fault. Anyone that thinks otherwise isn't worth thinking about." Colonel Truman reminded him. "You know Dr. K will have a handle on things. Just go and concentrate on that fiancée of yours."

"Well I'm hoping she won't be my fiancée too much longer." He told him with a little grin. "We've booked a date for the registry office."

"Well that's something to feel happy about." He replied with a huge grin on his face. "When's the big day?"

"A week today." He told him. "I kind of wanted us to be a proper family by the time the baby comes. That...and Brie kind of wants to get married before she gets too big to fit her mother's dress."

"I thought she wasn't getting on with her parents since she stood by you after your dad disinherited you." Colonel Truman remarked. Chas just laughed.

"They got to talking a little while ago after they found out about Brie." He informed him. "I guess the allure of getting to know their grandchild was stronger than protocol. I just wish the same could be said about my dad."

"I'm sure he'll come around." Colonel Truman replied. "If he doesn't, then it'll be his loss."

"I know, it doesn't stop it hurting though." He responded in a sigh. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I guess I have to go and talk to the press now. Damage control and all that."

"Just remind everyone that progress doesn't take place without some mishaps." Colonel Truman told him.

"I doubt that'll be much comfort, but I'll try." He responded. "Check your mailbox for the invite."

"I'll be there." He responded. "Good luck."

Back at the Garage, Scott was pacing before the twins yet again as he prepared for the reprimand. Gemma looked close to tears, unable to look at any of them. She couldn't even think about using her pencils to doodle as she usually did when she had nothing else to do. Gem held her hand, knowing that she was upset about her mistake, but still saying nothing in order to protect her.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Scott asked them. "You know the schematics of the morph sequence. You knew where you were meant to be."

"We're sorry." Gem replied, taking the lead to take the attention off Gemma. "We thought we noticed a variation in the bio fields. We thought a little altitude..."

"A little altitude?" Flynn scoffed in response, "you went nearly 200 feet into the air?"

"The zords were damaged." Scott yelled at them. "Fortunately the damage wasn't extensive, and no one was hurt, but that could have been disastrous. What if the zords had been put out of commission?"

Gem just shrugged and looked at them sadly.

"I'm sorry, it was a mistake." He responded.

Dr. K felt guilty watching this. She wanted to intervene on behalf of her friends, but there was a part of her that still wanted to see Gemma and Scott at odds. She knew it was wrong to let this go on. She knew all about their upbringing, and knew that it wasn't really the twin's fault that they were over-excitable. It was the way they had been conditioned to be by the Alphabet Soup programme's psychologists.

"It was a mistake that could have cost us all dearly." Scott told him. At that point, an alarm sounded, alerting them to another attack in the city.

"You two stay here until we call you!" Scott ordered the twins. "We'll continue with this when we get back."

"What the hell is that thing?" Summer asked, furrowing her brows as she observed the screen. "It looks like a bunch of balloons."

"One of my old buddy Crunch's creations no doubt." Tenaya said, rolling her eyes in disbelief. "I think Venjix dropped his brain boards a few times before installing them."

"Well whatever it looks like, it seems that he isn't waiting for us to have the usual Ranger battle first." Scott commented as it grew to massive size. "Dr. K, what's the status on our zords?"

"They're currently at 95 percent." Dr. K told him.

"That'll have to do." Scott replied. "Come on guys, let's get out there and pop us some balloons."

As they raced out of the complex, Gem looked to his sister and showed her a device he had been working on under the table during the reprimand.

"Hey, I know what can cheer you up." He told her. "Help me get this scanner working. It'll help us find something to blow up out in the wastes."

Gemma just nodded and went with him to the work bench to get some more tools. Corporal Hicks watched them go with a curious look on his face.

"How can you scan outside the shields?" He asked them. "The scanners at central command are connected to the external markers."

"Oh, we'll simply create a wireless upload to the system and scan for irregular levels of radiation." Gem explained like he was telling him how to turn on a light switch. "It's all simple if you have a basic understanding of Quantum Mechanics."

As they went, Hicks just stared blankly at them. Dr. K gave a small cough from behind him as she worked on the computer, analysing the Ranger battle.

"You underestimate them because of their mannerisms." She stated. "Make no mistake; both of them are well above average intelligence. They're easily capable of devising such a device."

"But...what about the whole...you know...boom thing?" He asked her. Dr. K just sighed.

"You should not underestimate them simply because they are a little...excitable." Dr. K told him. "It was the way they were raised in Alphabet Soup."

"But you were raised there too, and you're...well...not like that." He replied. Dr. K just sighed.

"Your ignorance is clear, and also a little wearing Corporal Hicks." Dr. K told him in a sigh. "They were not raised like me because they were raised for a different purpose."

"What purpose?" He asked her. "What did they do to them?"


	7. Creating Gold and Silver

A long time ago, the young Gem and Gemma were sitting in a room, deep within the Alphabet Soup compound. They were both around six years old at the time. They were confused as to why they were there. Normally their carers never left them alone for too long.

Gem looked to the mirror on the wall, nudging her gently, but she just nodded. Despite their young age, they already understood things far beyond their years. They both understood the concept of a two-way mirror, and knew that they were being watched. They just didn't know what the people overseeing the project wanted with them.

Behind the glass, the project leaders were watching the twins, who were staring at the glass curiously, pressing their hands and faces against it as though somehow hoping they would be able to see or hear what was going on behind that barrier. There were seven in total. Five in white lab coats, all holding clip boards, pouring over charts and graphs. One was a woman in her early thirties, wearing a skirt and a pale blue blouse, with wire-framed glasses and long red hair. She was the assigned carer for the twins. The last was a man in a military uniform, with a slender though toned build, and very pale flesh that looked like it was stretched over a skull several sizes too small for it, giving his face a skull-like appearance.

"You called me here about the results?" Gates asked them. One of the technicians handed him a clipboard. Gates looked at it and snorted in disgust. "This is a joke right?"

"We believed the hot-housing we've exposed them to would produce the desired results." One of the technicians told him apologetically. "You can see by the results of their intelligence tests their results are all far beyond the normal human range..."

"They're not up to standard!" Gates interrupted him aggressively, shoving the clipboard back into his chest. "What good are they to the research team?"

"They are still..."

"I told you that I suggested taking children for a reason. NOT BABIES!" He snarled. "Babies can't even be tested until they're old enough. We've just wasted years developing them!"

"I just wanted to find a way other than kidnapping kids off the street." The technician protested. "They're still..."

"They are below acceptable standards." One of the others stated. "So what do we do with them?"

"The adoption cannot be traced." Another stated. "I say we cut our losses and terminate them. They are simply a failed experiment."

"Those are children you're talking about!" The carer shrieked as she heard them say this. Although she worked for Alphabet Soup, and had been instructed to do nothing but take care of their needs, she had raised them from infancy. She couldn't help becoming attached to them. Here she was listening to one of them suggesting executing them, simply for missing the grade of 'acceptable standards' of intelligence for the project by only a few points. It wasn't as if they were useless, outside of this place they'd be considered phenomenal. "You can't just kill them!"

"No, we can't." Gates said with a smirk that sent a shiver down her spine. She had been in the Soup long enough to know that morals were never an issue. Gates though terrified everyone. It had been his lack of any form of humanity that had led to their policy of kidnapping and enslaving children as opposed to paying employees. He had come up with many of their weapons and security concepts. He was a true monster. His intellect was impressive, but it was his lack of concern for ethics that had led to him being brought into the installation as a project leader. It was a perfect fit. "I do not believe in wasting money on an investment. Perhaps we can find a use for them after all."

"What kind of use are you suggesting?" She asked him. Gates just smiled as he looked over to the glass, seeing the young twins still observing the glass, curious as to why exactly their carer had left them alone for so long. He hit a button, activating a speaker between the holding area and the observation room. "Sit down!"

The twins immediately pulled away from the glass and rushed back to their seats, sitting down quietly as they had been instructed. Gates released the button and chuckled as an idea came to them.

"Have you ever noticed how children are utterly loyal and trusting?" He asked them. "They take enjoyment in the simplest of things, any stimulation and yet they never think far enough ahead to ponder the consequences of their actions. They never consider whether or not they'll get hurt or if they're in danger."

He turned back to them, his grin widening.

"Those are pretty desirable traits in a test pilot don't you think?" He asked them. "The intelligence to use the technology we give them, with the loyalty and obedience of a child. Get one of the psychologists. We're going to start them on a new course of learning."

Hicks' attention was snapped back from Dr. K's story as an alert sounded. She turned back to the computer as the analysis of the battle showed a new danger. The attack bot had used the balloons attached to itself to raise high into the air, causing the megazords to collide, much as they had in the park. The energy levels started to drop.

"Doc, energy levels are at 35 percent." Scott informed her. "If we don't take this thing out soon..."

"Negative Scott, hold your fire!" She commanded him. "Scans show that the canisters attached to that attack bot are full of gas, but I'm having difficulty penetrating them to measure toxicity."

"Uh...Dr. K, where are the twins?" Hicks asked her. Dr. K looked around, realising that he was right, and that they were nowhere to be seen. She just sighed and pointed to the monitor just as the Mach Megazord came into view, smashing the attack bot to the ground. Before anyone could stop them, they fired the energy bow, destroying it utterly.

"If that gas had been toxic, they could have poisoned the whole dome!" Hicks gasped as he watched the sensors give the all clear.

"Like I said, it really isn't their fault." Dr. K sighed, turning back to him. "It's Alphabet Soup's."

Gem and Gemma were now around ten years old, and were, as usual, sparring with their instructors in the gym. Despite their young age, they were now the equal of their instructors in the ring, and were expected to surpass them within months. Their education had been supplemented with intense physical training. Gem's guard slipped a little in his bout as he was momentarily distracted by the arrival of his carer, Ms. Leonard. His instructor managed to get through with a hard kick, breaking his nose and sending him to the floor in a bloody mess.

"Cease!" One of the instructors commanded. Gemma immediately stopped stock still. While it would be natural for her to go and check on her brother, she had long since been trained otherwise. She was not to act unless she was told to. The carer came to Gem's side as the instructors helped him to his feet. "You got careless."

"I know." Gem said with a small pout. He was upset, though not because of the injury. He had grown accustomed to injury. In the course of their physical training, both he and his sister had been injured many times, though they simply accepted it as a consequence of the games they played. They would be upset about their failure and embarrassment, though after getting cleaned up and receiving a kind word and a lollipop from the physician, they bounced right back. They were back to training the same day from most injuries. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright Gem, I know you're just excited." Ms. Leonard told him. "Go with Mr. Jackson and see the doctor. You can catch up with us in a little while."

Gem just nodded with a huge grin on his face as he left with the instructor. Gemma just looked to the carer.

"Your brother will be fine, you know that." The carer told her. Gemma just nodded.

"It's meant to be TV time now." Gemma reminded her. "Gem will miss the start of the movie."

"He won't be long. I think we can start the movie a few minutes later." She replied with a smile. "Tell you what, how about you draw him a nice card while you wait for him and I'll see if I can find some ice cream."

Gemma nodded excitedly and rushed off to the recreation room to begin work on the card for her brother. She knew he loved their time watching cartoons as much as she did, and was overjoyed that they would be allowed to start a little later so that he wouldn't miss the start of the movie they were getting to see today.

As she made her way down the hall, she passed by the other mess hall. The one she and Gem were never allowed to eat in. They had seen that there were other kids here at the base, others that shared their allergy to sunlight. However, they seemed to be kept separately from them. Indeed, from each other too. She had only ever seen them eating one at a time. Right now there was a young, pale looking girl with a bowl-cut hairstyle, sitting with a book as she pushed her dinner around on the plate. Gemma moved a little closer to see if she could see her any better when a shadow cast over her. Turning around, she looked up and smiled at Mr. Gates.

"You know you're meant to be in the TV room right now." He reminded her. "You wouldn't want to miss that now would you?"

"Who is that?" She asked him, pointing to the girl. Gates just looked over to the young Dr. K and sighed.

"She's another sick little girl that we're trying to help here." He told her.

"But she doesn't look like she's having any fun." Gemma commented, looking back to her. "Doesn't she like what she's eating?"

"I'm sure what she's eating is just as delicious as what we feed you." Gates assured her. "You see that book? She's probably just concentrating on her lessons."

"But I always find my lessons fun." Gemma replied. "She looks kind of sad."

"Well I'm sure her carer will take care of her if that's true." Gates replied. "Anyway, you should be going. I understand that Ms. Foster is getting you some ice cream. I know you wouldn't want to miss that."

Gemma just nodded at him, smiling and left to go to the recreation room. She still didn't know why the other girl wouldn't be having fun here, but right now she had something else on her mind. She needed to find her pencils to make her card for Gem.

Back in the present, Hicks and Dr. K just vacated the room as the other Rangers came back into the Garage. Gem and Gemma were bounding in the room, their excitement at having eliminated another attack bot obvious, but the others were nowhere near as happy. Scott looked like he was ready to blow a gasket as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Sit down and shut up!" He snapped, pointing back to the table they were sitting at before. Hicks couldn't help noticing the way they hung their heads as they dutifully went back to their seats to await their leader's reprimand and he felt something within him. Dr. K hadn't lied to him, they didn't act like children, they were children. The door closed behind them, and Hicks turned back to Dr. K.

"They did this to them?" He asked her. "They deliberately kept them kids to test a few weapons?"

"I don't think you appreciate how dangerous these tests were." Dr. K replied. "The weapons we were developing were some of the most destructive ever developed since the Manhattan Project. The tests themselves were regularly life threatening. They simply created test pilots that had the intelligence to use the weapons, but would use them unquestioningly and not consider the risks."

The twins were both 18 by the time they had been introduced to Dr. K and had begun testing the weaponry she was creating for Project Ranger. Gemma was in a firing range, holding a blaster that she had designed. Everyone else, everyone with an ounce of common sense many would say, was outside the room, standing behind several inches of bomb proof glass. Gem was standing there, watching on with excitement.

"That is the combination blaster formed from the cloud hatchet and the sky shift controller." Dr. K reminded her. "Gemma, please insert the engine cell."

Gemma did so, readying the weapon to fire. She aimed it at a block of steel plating at the opposite end of the range, several feet away.

"Emergency teams on standby." Dr. K announced. "Commence testing."

Gemma fired the blaster, which fired with enough power to destroy the armour completely. Unfortunately though, she simply wasn't strong enough to hold it. She flew backwards, hitting the wall hard and slid down limply, collapsing into a heap on the floor. Dr. K opened the doors, allowing the emergency team in to check over her. Dr. K and Gem came in shortly afterwards.

Gemma started to stir slowly as the doctors checked over her.

"I told you it was too powerful to use without the Ranger rigs!" Dr. K screamed at one of the project leaders. "The power the rigs supply is needed to counteract the backlash of the blast!"

"Are you alright Gemma?" Gem asked her. One of the doctors tried to stop her moving too quickly while they assessed whether the impact had caused any spinal injury. There was already an impressive lump swelling up on the back of her head where it had hit the wall.

"Gemma answer us!" Ms. Leonard demanded, pushing her way into the room. Gemma looked up, trying to focus as all the faces crowded around her.

"Can I have some ice cream?" She asked weakly. Ms. Foster just smiled at her.

"You can both have all the ice cream you want once the doctors have finished." She replied.

"Cool!" She replied with a forced grin as the doctors started to help her up. "That was amazing, it went BOOM!"

"It really did!" Gem agreed. "It was cool!"

"It will be a lot cooler when it can make that boom without almost killing you." Dr. K reminded her. "I'll work on conjoining it with the Ranger series rigs."

"Come on Dr. K, why don't you come with us?" Gem asked her.

"Yeah, can Dr. K come and have ice cream too?" Gemma asked Ms. Leonard. "She's worked so hard, she deserves it!"

"I'm afraid Dr. K still has a lot of work to do." One of the researchers told her. "She needs to straighten out what happened here."

Gem and Gemma looked back, a little upset that their friend wasn't allowed to come with them to have fun after their day of testing. Dr. K though wasn't so concerned. Her creation had almost killed one of the test pilots. While she envied the different way the twins were treated, and envied the fact that they were now being taken away for recreational time, whatever that entailed, her sense of failure was overwhelming. Even if she had been allowed to go, she would have refused, insisting on working on her project. That was the obsession that had been conditioned into her.

"That is the extent of how insidious the conditioning Alphabet Soup gave us was." She concluded her store. "Their development and conditioning had been geared towards making them suitable test subjects for potentially dangerous technology by making them emotionally and psychologically children. They were always consistently over-stimulated. They were never encouraged to see things in an adult or mature way. They were isolated to keep them in that state and prevent them developing on their own. That is why they were encouraged to watch cartoons, to draw pictures, to play games and..."

"I can't believe that anyone would do that." He breathed gently. "It's sick."

"They shaped everything about the kids in there. Even me." She told him. "While their conditioning was geared towards preventing emotional development, mine was geared towards forcing academic and intellectual development." She informed him. "I gained my pleasure through more intellectual pursuits. I was allowed to play music for fun, though it was classical music, since that had been shown to assist in cortical development. While they got to play together to encourage co-operation, I was shaped more towards competition and pursuit of individual success, seeing others as competitors. That's why I had so many problems dealing with people. In Alphabet Soup, not even leisure pursuits were innocent, or without purpose. It was all to shape us into the tools they wanted us to be."

"I'm really sorry, I just always thought they were...I never took them seriously." He told her. "I can't imagine how anyone would turn out if they were raised like that."

"They are intelligent; they know and understand more than you think." She told him. "However, they are very trusting. They are prone to leaving themselves vulnerable emotionally."

"Emotionally?" Hicks asked her. Dr. K nodded.

"They can bounce back from a broken bone easily; they have done so many times." She told him. "They are not so resilient if their feelings are hurt."

Hicks nodded in understanding as the Rangers, minus the twins entered the lab.

"Dr. K, we really need to talk about Gem and Gemma." Scott told her. Dr. K gestured to Hicks that it was time to leave, which he did so. "They don't take orders from me; they ran off into the wastes because of that device you gave them without even having a plan..."

As he got outside, Hicks considered everything he had learned about the twins. He had never really given much thought to why they would act like that, but now he understood, he felt terrible about judging them so harshly. He heard something underfoot and looked down, finding a piece of torn, paper. Looking around, there were a couple of others. Littering was far from common anymore, and so he bent down to pick up the pieces. It was only as he took a closer look at them he saw that they were pieces of a drawing.

He held them together, looking at what the picture before him. It showed a pair of stick figures, one of them with long hair scribbled on top of its head, holding hands. They were surrounded by love hearts, flowers and rainbows.

Having been discarded so carelessly, and destroyed like that, something had to have happened. He remembered that Gemma hadn't seemed like herself when he had seen her earlier, and it was then that he remembered what Dr. K had said. The twins were like children. They took things to heart when they were upset.

He had already figured out that Gemma liked him, was it possible the drawing was meant for him? That's when he had a horrible thought, one he hoped was wrong. The reason she was so upset was because she had heard what he had said about her. He had hurt her feelings.


	8. The Twins' Lessons

Gem and Gemma landed their Zords on an island just off the coast of the main landmass, several miles from the city. The scanner they had been working on had recorded significant levels of electromagnetic disturbances in the area. They had initially thought that their theory had been correct and they had managed to triangulate the position of Venjix's palace before hitting the other installations. However, arriving on the island, they found no visible signs of a building or installation anywhere.

Getting out of their zords, they started to wander the desert, checking readings as they went for any clue as to where the readings were coming from. After what seemed like hours, Gem started smacking the scanner into his hand.

"Is this thing working right?" He complained. "If our calculations are right, the disturbance should be right around here!"

Just as he said this an energy blast, so much more powerful than anything they had felt before dashed them from their feet, leaving them writhing on the ground. Gemma responded a little more quickly, looking up to see Shifter, with a strange, bulky weapon attached to his right wrist. Grinders started pouring out of the nearby cliffs, followed closely by the textile bot.

"You know I was getting bored of testing my new ultimate weapon. It was only a matter of time before I had to test it on Rangers. Now I guess this saves me having to go and look for some!"

Gem got back to his feet and morphed, trying to take down Shifter before he had a chance to fire off another shot, only to be smashed to the ground by the textile bot. Gemma rushed to his side, carving down Grinders as she went.

"The energy readings from that cannon are off the scale!" She screamed, helping him back up. "We need something with a little more kick!"

"I know we're not meant to escalate a battle, but I think this is one time we can make an exception!" Gem replied as they called for the Zords, quickly forming into the Mach Megazord. They flew high into the air, hoping to get some room to move. Shifter simply levelled the lightning cannon at them and fired, knocking them out of the air.

"Energy levels are critical." Gemma called out.

"You just did exactly what I wanted you to." Shifter taunted them as the textile bot launched its cable, binding the megazord into place. The twins worked frantically, trying to free themselves, but it was impossible.

"I guess this is what Scott's always warning us about." Gem stated, watching helplessly as the textile bot grew to massive size and came into view. "If we hadn't have rushed off y

"...We'd never have been ambushed like this." Gemma concluded. She felt a few tears running down her face as she thought about this. They had all been right about her all along. She was a stupid, careless kid. No wonder Scott kept yelling at them. She could understand why Hicks thought of her as a joke.

Just as the textile bot was about to strike the final blow, it was smashed down by the arrival of the Valvemax Megazord. Dillon fired off the blaster, staggering the attack bot, allowing Scott and the others to arrive in the High Octane Megazord.

"You guys look like you could use a hand." Scott commented as they summoned the sabre, cutting the twins free. "We traced your signal out here. Dr. K figured you might be in trouble."

"You can say that again." Gem replied, taking a breath as they pulled their zord back to a vertical base. "Listen, we're sorry, we understand now why we can't just run off on our own."

"That's good to know." Flynn stated as the textile bot recovered from the initial assault. "Because with the zords in their current state, there's no way we have the power..."

"Maybe we could try the new megazord configuration again?" Gem suggested.

"You remember what happened last time right?" Flynn asked him.

"Well we really don't have much of a choice. We can't keep taking this damage!" Scott reminded him. "Gem, Gemma, we all have to be in synch for this to work, are you sure you're ready for this?"

"We're ready." Gemma responded.

"Alright, bio fields aligning, beginning Sky Rev Megazord sequencing!" Scott commanded. The zords all surged into each other, taking their place as the new megazord formed. Down on the ground, Shifter could only watch as the new zord took flight.

"Perhaps my textile zord needs a little help." He thought aloud as he levelled the lightning cannon their way, attempting to track a lock on them. At that point though, he was blasted to the ground as Venjix arrived in his personal fighter. Shifter slammed a fist into the ground as he watched the lightning cannon explode.

"Crunch told me you had engaged the Rangers without consulting me!" Venjix roared as the fighter circled around. "Return to the base at once!"

Shifter just turned and left dutifully, realising that there would be consequences for his disobedience.

As Venjix circled around to return to base, the Sky Rev Megazord fired its primary weapon, destroying both the attack bot and the fighter. Venjix body smashed to the ground, sparking and smoking from the force of the impact. The virus just looked down with disgust at the damaged form.

"This body has failed me for the last time." It announced, activating the upload to return to the column in its palace. "It is time to create a form worthy of my greatness." With that, it exploded devastatingly, leaving only a smoking crater in its stead. The Rangers never noticed the explosion as they flew the new Megazord back towards the city.

"Well the two of you did great." Flynn complimented them. "I can't wait to get back. There's a whole load of candy waiting for us when we get back."

"I doubt that." Ziggy grumbled. "When I called Dr. K to report in about the success in our battle, she never answered. I'll bet you 10 bucks that we're going to the store to get more candy."

"Well we kind of wanted to go back anyway." Gem said a little guiltily. "We really didn't finish fixing the door we broke properly..."

"...It's more fun breaking things than fixing them." Gemma stated. "We really should fix it."

Later in the day, Gem and Gemma were busy at the store, fixing it under the guidance of the owner this time. He did not seem at all happy with their work, having already watched their first repair job falling apart before they had finished.

"Maybe I could help." Hicks suggested as he arrived. He was off-duty, and so was dressed in street-clothing. He was carrying a toolbox. He came over to Gem and handed him a shopping list and some money. "Gem, Dr. K asked if you could get this stuff. She said something about running out of candy."

Gem took the list from him and went inside, grabbing a hand basket. Hicks noticed as Gemma immediately hid her face and started to focus on the door. He set down his toolbox and pulled out an electric screwdriver.

"Don't worry; I've done plenty of DIY in my time. We'll be done in no time." He assured her as he started to get to work. Gemma didn't answer though. All she could think about was how she felt when he was this close, and how he made her feel when he made fun of her.

Hicks finished with the upper hinge and looked down on her, seeing the way she pulled away from him. The guilt seemed to crush his chest as she seemed to confirm what he had suspected, that she had indeed heard him making fun of her. He knelt down and tightened the last few screws, before putting away the electric screwdriver.

"Gemma, I found this." He told her, handing her the pieces of the drawing. She took it off him and shoved it away in her pocket. "Did you...mean to give this to me?"

Gemma just nodded wordlessly, struggling to stop herself from crying. Hicks cursed himself for doing this to her. Since Dr. K had explained what had been done to the twins, he understood why they were this way. He now realised that her feelings for him were real, and that they were intense, it was her first crush, and having a child-like mentality, he realised it would have been devastating to her when she heard him mocking her so cruelly.

"You heard what I said, didn't you?" He asked her. Gemma just nodded her head sadly and started sobbing on the step. Hicks put his arm around her shoulders, holding her comfortingly. He had done this to her, and it pained him to see her this way.

"I should never have said those things. It was cruel and unfair. I didn't know a lot about you and I judged you unfairly. I'm sorry." He began, trying to find the words. Gemma looked up at him a little nervously.

"I know I'm not a normal person like all the others." She grumbled. "I don't try to be this way, its' just...I don't really understand a lot of the things people do. Even when I was held prisoner in that factory with Gem, I got through it by treating everything as a game. Some of the other prisoners went crazy, but Gem and I survived through it all."

"I never thought about what you went through out there." Hicks admitted. "I got to Corinth in the first evacuation. I never had to spend much time out of the dome. I don't know if I could have survived."

"I really liked you; I just haven't felt like this about anyone before." She told him. "I was told fairytales and stuff as a kid, but no one ever explained what it felt like. No one ever talked to me about this stuff. I just didn't know what to do."

"Weren't there other kids at the Soup?" He asked her. Gemma shook her head.

"The staff there kept us all separated. We only got to spend time with Dr. K to test the Ranger technology." She told him. "I never met any boys."

"So this is your first crush?" He asked her. Gemma nodded her head sadly. Hicks just held her more tightly.

"Well I consider it an honour." He told her. "I remember my first crush. It was a girl in my class at school. I was too nervous to talk to her, so I sent her a note. When she read it, she laughed and she showed it to all of her friends. Everyone laughed at me. I know how much it hurts."

"I felt horrible when I heard you say those things about me." She told him. "I felt like I was nothing, like I didn't matter."

"I really am sorry; I should not have said those things." He responded. "You might be a bit strange at times, but there's a lot more to you than that. You're really special."

"You think so?" She asked him nervously. He smiled at her and held her hand.

"You really are." He told her. "I know this hurts, but I really hope you can forgive me for being a judgemental jerk."

"Friends?" She asked him, extending a hand to him. Hicks nodded in reply, shaking her hand.

"In time you'll get over this, and you'll find someone who deserves you and realises just how amazing you are." He assured her. Gemma nodded and wiped away her few remaining tears and smiling at him. Gem arrived, carrying a large bag full of candy.

"You did a great job on the door." He told them with a huge grin on his face. "So are we ready to go back to the base?"

"That would be great." She told him. "Hicks, would you like to come with us?"

"I think that would be great." He replied. "Lead the way guys."

Back at Venjix's headquarters, Shifter arrived, finding Crunch hard at work. Venjix had uploaded itself back into the central mainframe following the battle.

"Master Venjix, you were destroyed?" Shifter asked as he realised that his master was back in the mainframe. He had left the site of the battle before the end, and so hadn't actually witnessed the end.

"My body has proven to be insufficient for destroying the Rangers. I have destroyed it." Venjix told him. Crunch cackled maniacally and pulled up some schematics.

"With this new body we're designing, the next battle with the Rangers should be the last!" He shrieked in delight.

"Let me see those plans." Shifter demanded, shoving his comrade aside. "This is indeed a superior design, though I believe I can find some areas for improvement."

"Then perhaps you should get to work." Venjix boomed menacingly. "Do not believe I have forgotten that you acted without my permission. However that lightning cannon of yours showed real ingenuity. Perhaps together we could create my ultimate weapons."

Back at the Ranger base, the night wore on, and the Rangers all began to make amends with the twins. Dr. K noticed the way Gemma was acting, and saw her slipping outside for a moment. She felt guilty about not defending her friends earlier. She knew that Scott was right, and that they needed to be disciplined, but he had spoken to them harshly.

She came outside, finding Gemma looking at the picture she had drawn. She sat next to her.

"You've had a rough day haven't you?" Dr. K asked her. Gemma nodded, but she smiled as she thought about the day she'd had. "Scott means well. I don't think he meant to make you feel bad, he just wanted to keep the team safe."

"I know that." Gemma replied. "I know we deserved to be told off. The way we kept running off on our own put us in danger. It risked the entire team being left weakened."

"I know, but he could have been a bit more diplomatic about it." Dr. K told her. "I should have talked to you myself. I hate to think that he hurt your feelings."

"Dr. K what are you talking about?" Gemma asked her. Dr. K gently took the picture from her and looked at it with a sigh.

"There's a part of me that wanted him to make you feel like that." She admitted. "I'm really sorry, you're my friend, and I should have stood up for you."

"Why didn't you?" Gemma asked her. Dr. K just showed her the picture.

"I was jealous." She confessed to her friend as she turned from her in her shame. "I let him hurt your feelings because I wanted to drive a wedge between you."

"I don't understand." Gemma replied. "Why did you want to push me and Scott apart?" She suddenly looked to the picture again and gasped as she realised what she meant.

"I hate feeling like this!" Dr. K snapped. "I can't control it; I can't stop thinking about him all the time."

"Dr. K..."

"I see the way he looks at you; I've seen the way you are together." She continued grumpily. "I know I'm not the prettiest or the most exciting girl. I can understand why he's into you."

"Dr. K, Scott and I aren't like that." She responded warmly, hugging her friend. Dr. K just snorted in disbelief.

"You said you liked him at that slumber party." Dr. K reminded her. "You spend all your time with him, you always seem to be laughing and joking with him!"

"Listen, I just said I thought he was cute. He's an attractive guy." Gemma reassured her. "He spent a lot of time with us when the others were still unsure to get us ready. He wanted to make sure we felt alright being part of the team. Over time, I guess we've kind of rubbed off on him, but I really don't feel that way about him. He's a friend, that's all."

"So what about the condiment fight at the Lightningball match?" She asked her friend. "He never does anything like that with me. He always..."

"Do you really expect him to?" Gemma asked in a small laugh. "Dr. K, he respects you too much for that. He would never think you would want to take part in anything like that."

"No, he probably just thinks I'm the freaky brain box girl who can receipt pi to 783 places but doesn't understand the simplest concepts of normal life." Dr. K grumbled. "Look at me; I still habitually wear my school uniform! I saw the way he looked at you and...I just got jealous. I know he'll never look at me the way Dillon looks at Summer, or Sam looks at Flynn. Hell, even Ziggy managed to get a girl. I'm just the freak..."

"Don't ever think that way about yourself." Gemma told her. "You're special. If he has any brains, one day he'll figure that out too."

"So you really don't think of him that way?" Dr. K asked her. Gemma just shook her head in response. "Then what about the picture?"

Gemma blushed as she thought about it. She knew that after Dr. K admitted her vulnerability to her, that it was only fair she return the compliment.

"It was for Corporal Hicks." She told her. "Something about him, the way he's so clumsy and keeps knocking over the stuff in your lab…I just always find really cute."

"I can't believe I was so stupid." Dr. K grumbled, holding her face in her hands and shaking her head weakly. "I can't believe I let my emotions get the better of me like that. I'm normally so logical and…"

"Well I don't know about you, but I've learned that it really isn't a logical thing." Gemma interrupted her. "It's my first time too, I can vouch for how confusing and painful and frustrating it can all be."

"Well as frustrating as it all got, I still shouldn't have let it get in the way of our friendship." She told her, taking Gemma's hand. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to forgive." Gemma replied, hugging her tightly. All things considered, they were not so different in their plight. However, now they had finally broken down the rift that had been forming between them. Now they were free to figure out these new challenges as they had figured out so many back in the bunker. They would face them together.


	9. A Lively Debate

A couple of days later, Chas was getting ready for a televised debate against his father. It was now only a week before the election, but more importantly for him, it was only three days until he got married to Brie.

Hicks was in charge of the security detail, and had just finished ensuring everyone was in position before the beginning of the crucial event, before coming into the changing room to find Chas getting dressed for the debate. As usual, he refused to have make-up applied to the scarring on his face and neck. Hicks knocked on the door gently, rousing his attention.

"You'll be pleased to know the place is sealed up tighter than a drum." He stated with a sense of pride in his work. "There's been a full sweep of the building, everyone coming in is getting a full search, and everyone on duty right down to the janitorial staff have received a full background check."

"Well it's comforting to know security's being handled so well." He replied. "How do the crowd seem?"

"The colours are about 50/50." He replied in reference to the rosettes and buttons they were wearing. Chas' campaign had adopted emerald green as their colour, while his father's was a deep purple. "Unfortunately I'd say there are one or two more purples."

"I guess talking to the press about the Dr. Williams incident garnered me some support." Chas sighed as he looked out a tie for the occasion. "I just wish I could feel more confident about the way things are going."

"Hey, like I said, things are nearly 50/50." Hicks reminded him. "This debate should help swing some votes. Besides, there's still a week left, who knows what'll happen in the polls?"

"I suppose that's true." Hicks replied as he put on the tie and checked his appearance in the mirror.

"You also have a certain wedding to look forward to." Hicks reminded him with a small grin. "The article about that bumped your dad's charity donation to page four."

"Well as much as anything that hampers my dad's campaign is a good thing, I'm just looking forward to the day." He responded with a huge grin on his face. "Brie's really excited. Her mom and dad have been around almost non-stop since they started talking again."

Hicks could sense a little sadness in his voice as he said this. Despite the rift between himself and his father, he could tell that Chas was still upset about it. He hadn't spoken to, or even seen his mother since the day in the hospital when his father disowned him. He had always hoped that they would come around eventually. It was only natural that he wanted them to be there for the wedding, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. He put a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, if your dad can't put this all past him and be there for you, that's his loss." Hicks told him bluntly. "Brie thought her parents had turned their backs on her, and look at them now. They'll be there."

"I guess you're right." Hicks replied, fixing his collar. "You know, there is one thing that occurs to me. I haven't picked a Best Man yet."

"Really?" Hicks asked him as he felt a smile crossing his face. "I thought you'd have chosen one of your friends..."

"You find out who your friends are when the money dries up." Chas said a little bitterly. "Most of the guys I thought were my friends stopped calling ages ago. They didn't want to be seen to be supporting me over my dad."

"Nice crowd." Hicks commented.

"So what do you say?" Chas asked him.

"I guess I was going anyway." Hicks responded cheerfully, shaking his hand. "I'd be honoured."

At that point, Hicks' radio sprung into life, and Colonel Truman's voice interrupted them.

"Hicks, the situation down here's getting hot." He yelled. "Leave some men on guard detail and bring the rest. Track my signal and deploy backup, pronto!"

"Sorry about this, duty calls." Hicks said regretfully as he started to leave. "Good luck with the debate."

"Thanks." Chas replied as he watched them go. He checked his pocket, making sure the cards with his bullet points were ready. He knew that his dad would have a team to get him ready for the debate, whereas he could only guess what the day had in store for him.

Hicks arrived at the scene of the battle, finding the Rangers finishing up with the last of the Grinders. Colonel Truman handed a young girl back to her mother as the battle ended, but he was watching as Gem and Scott chased off the last of them. Hicks came over to him, saluting as he did so.

"I guess I got here a little late." He commented. "We got here as fast as we could."

"Thanks, things were looking a little intense for a while there." Colonel Truman told him. "The Rangers arrived just in time."

"What was Venjix after this time?" Hicks asked him.

"There were no obvious strategic targets in the area." Colonel Truman replied with a shrug. "I guess it was just to shake things up a little and cause some chaos."

"Well it looks like it's done that alright." Hicks stated, gesturing to the mess in the street. "I'll organise a cleanup crew."

"Thanks Hicks, I have something I need to take care of." Colonel Truman told him, casting a glance over to Gem. "I saw some real courage here today, and that is something which deserves to be rewarded."

Back at the meeting hall, Mr. Winchester made his way onto the stage amid a huge fanfare. Chas could only watch as he milked the limelight for his own image. He already recognised many of the people supporting his father's campaign. Some of the richest and most powerful citizens of Corinth were backing him for Mayor. Unsurprisingly, many of the policies he had proposed greatly favoured himself and his old friends, essentially trying to buy the election.

He took his position on the stage, waving to the crowd and shaking hands. Chas groaned as he even lifted a baby from the crowd and kissed it in a thoroughly clichéd gesture. Mr. Winchester had been a far from caring father. It was likely he had inserted a plant in the audience to make him look good.

"I guess it's my turn now." Chas sighed as he made his way onto the stage. The reaction was good, but not the same as the reaction for his father's entrance. As he took his position by his own podium, he looked into the front row, seeing Brie sitting there, smiling up at him. While she was there, he was sure that everything would be alright.

While the crowd settled down after the arrival, the news anchor hosting the debate started to read the introductions. The guards turned their attention to the stage, watching the events unfolding. No one noticed a figure in a janitorial uniform slipping through a door to the projection room overlooking the stage.

The mysterious figure set down the toolbox and lifted out the tray, revealing the pieces of a sniper rifle. As the anchor finished his introductions, Mr. Winchester stepped up to his podium to answer his first question. The assassin watched on in interest while assembling the rifle. It was almost time to act.

The Rangers were called into the main room of the Garage, finding Colonel Truman there with another couple of soldiers. They all assembled before him as he paced the room.

"I've been in the military a long time, and in that time, I've seen a lot of bravery." He began, walking up and down the line. He stopped before Scott and smiled at him. "Today, I saw a true hero."

He turned one space to his right, looking at Gem and approached him, pulling out a medal. Gem beamed brightly as he saw it and started to bounce up and down excitedly.

"Gem, it is my pleasure to award you the medal of valour." He told him. Gem couldn't contain himself any longer, continuing to bounce, and saluting so quickly, he hit himself in the head, nearly taking his own eye out.

"Thank you sir! This is awesome!" He screamed, running around, showing off his medal to all the others. Summer looked to Scott, realising that he had been slighted. He had also helped the young girl, and yet the Colonel had only honoured Gem. Scott just shook his head and leaned in, whispering in her ear.

"It's alright; I know what dad thinks of me." He told her. "I already have the Order of Corinth, let Gem have his moment."

"The Medal of Valour!" He shrieked excitedly, waving it in front of Ziggy and Tenaya. "Isn't this awesome?"

"He really is excited isn't he?" Tenaya said with a small smile, holding Ziggy closely. "It almost makes me think of our own..."

"Whoa!" Ziggy and Dillon yelled, interrupting her. Dillon looked thoroughly annoyed, and cast a hard glare down to Ziggy. The Green Ranger meanwhile just looked frightened by the thought.

"Uh...Tenaya, we haven't talked about anything like that." Ziggy told her, switching his gaze between her and Dillon, hoping not to upset the Black Ranger. "I mean, we...uh...maybe we should talk about this..."

"That was way too easy." Tenaya laughed, making her way to the door. "Come on Ziggy, you said you'd take the kids from the orphanage to the park remember?"

"Oh, right. I don't want to be late." He replied. He looked back to the guys. "It's been too long since she's had a little break, so I said I'd look after them for the afternoon."

"Can I come?" Gem asked excitedly, still bounding around hyperactively. "It's been ages since I saw them. I was starting to miss my little friends."

"Some of the kids have been asking after you and your sister." Ziggy conceded. "Would you like to come too Gemma?"

"Sorry, I have to help Dr. K run some tests on the zords to make sure the repairs have been completed. Thanks for the offer though, tell them I said hi!"

With that, Tenaya, Ziggy and Gem all left to enjoy their day with the kids. Summer nudged Scott as the soldiers left. Dr. K and Gemma went into the lab to begin their diagnostics on the zord repairs.

"Dillon, Flynn and I were going to pick up Sam to take her out for lunch." She informed him. "Are you coming with us?"

"No offence Summer, but I don't really relish the idea of being the fifth wheel at a double date." He told her, taking off his jacket and heading towards the lab. "I'll help Dr. K here. Have fun though."

Summer just shrugged, before she, Flynn and Dillon got into the Hummer and pulled away. Scott arrived in the lab, causing Dr. K and Gemma to look up, a little surprised to see him.

"What are you doing here?" Dr. K asked him a little too aggressively. Gemma just nudged her to silence her, causing her to rethink her statement. "I thought you'd have gone with the others."

"I didn't really fancy it. I thought I would help you guys with the tests." He replied. Dr. K got a small smile on her face.

"Do you know anything about nuclear fusion technology?" Gemma asked him. He shook his head. "What about biotechnological research?"

"I can make microwave burritos?" He suggested weakly with a shrug. Dr. K just nodded in response.

"That would be helpful, I am a little hungry. Thank you Scott." Dr. K answered. Scott smiled and left for the kitchenette. Gemma giggled slightly and prodded Dr. K with her finger.

"Do you really think burritos are a good idea?" She teased her. "It might make getting closer a little difficult."

"Gemma, we have work to do." Dr. K grumbled. Gemma just smirked and turned back to her own screen, trying hard not to laugh. She hoped that Dr. K might get a little more accomplished today than just fixing the megazords.

Over at the park, Ziggy and Tenaya were sitting on a bench at the edge of the park. Ziggy was completely exhausted after a lively game of softball with the kids, while Tenaya just wanted to keep him company.

Gem was running around with the kids, showing off his medal and playing with them on the equipment in the park. Tenaya leant over to Ziggy and whispered in his ear.

"I wonder where they get all their energy." She commented. "I mean, my stamina's increased because of the implants, so what is their secret?"

"They're kids." Ziggy told her matter-of-factly. "They're always full of energy."

"Gem's the biggest one of all." Tenaya sniggered, pointing over to where Gem was entertaining some of the kids with some gymnastics on the monkey bars. "What do you think our kids would be like?"

Ziggy looked at her again, in a combination of worry and happiness. This was the second time today she had mentioned kids. The first time she had indicated that she was joking, but now he wasn't quite so sure.

"Tenaya, do you...really want to talk about this?" He asked her nervously. "I love you, you know I do but kids...it's a really huge deal."

"I guess I'm just a little curious." She muttered, pulling some hair behind her ear. "I mean...after that whole thing with Summer and Dillon, and you know I love the kids here..."

"That's a little different from raising your own." He reminded her. "I had to explain what kids were to you. Do you know anything about...you know...what goes into it?"

"Summer had that talk with me remember?" Tenaya reminded him. "I know what's involved...oh great...now you just made me think about her and Dillon again...EW!"

"Tenaya, is it just the kids that make you want to talk about this stuff?" He asked her. "I mean, I can understand you being curious..."

"Ziggy, it's more than that. I've been thinking about us a lot recently." She told him, shifting a little closer. "I just wanted to know if you thought about where we were going."

"I think about that a lot." He told her. "I'm still trying to respect Dillon's reluctance about us, but I was thinking about this."

"What were you thinking about?" She asked him. He turned to her, taking her hand in his.

"I tried to think into the future, and all I can see is you." He responded honestly. "I can't even imagine not being with you."

"I'm glad you feel that way." She replied, resting her head on his shoulder and putting her arms around him. "I love you."

"I never gave any thought to having a family." He admitted to her. "When no one claimed me from the orphanage, I kind of resigned myself to being alone. It just never crossed my mind that it might be an option."

"What about now?" She asked him, a little grin on her lips. At that point, they were interrupted by a scream, followed by the unmistakable sound of a child crying.

Looking over, they saw Charlie, one of the boys from the orphanage, sitting on the ground with his hands over his forehead crying. He was directly underneath the monkey bars, though one bar was missing. It was lying on the ground right next to him. Gem ran over to help him.

"Come on little buddy, let me look at that." He said soothingly, gently removing the hands from his head. There was a small graze on top of a lump that was forming, which was already close to the size of a ping pong ball. The little boy sobbed pathetically.

"Don't cry, you're going to be alright." Gem told him, sitting on the ground and pulling the little boy into a comforting hug. He tried to shoosh him into silence. "You'll be alright, I promise. There's nothing..."

Gem's words were cut off as someone grabbed the scruff of his neck and pulled him away aggressively. He looked up, finding a woman glaring at him in rage.

"Get away from him you disgusting creep!" She screamed. Gem just stared at her, completely confused.

"But he was hurt." He protested as other adults started to crowd around him, all looking at him like he was diseased. "He was crying. I was just..."

"We know what you were doing you sicko!" One of the other women screamed, hitting him with a handbag. Gem's lip started to quiver as the women started to advance on him. His eyes sparkled as he looked around, unable to think of what he had done to offend them.

"Everyone get back, it's alright." Ziggy assured them. "The kid just took a little spill from the monkey bars, it's alright..."

"The monkey bars broke after HE was playing on them!" The first woman screeched. She had red, bushy hair, and tight blue jeans and a yellow t-shirt, bearing a protest slogan. "What the hell's someone his age even doing at a play park, as if we couldn't guess?"

Another of the women threw a rock, hitting Gem in the chest. Becoming more and more upset at the scene, eventually it all got too much for the Gold Ranger and he turned and ran as fast as he could, tears streaming down his face.

"Gem, come back!" Tenaya yelled, preparing to give chase. Ziggy grabbed her arm.

"Ten, let him go. He'll be fine." He assured her. "We need to get Charlie and the others back to the orphanage. We'll get him checked out properly there."

As they gathered up the kids, Tenaya looked down the path Gem had taken and felt a great swell of pity growing in her. She knew Gem hadn't meant any harm; he just wanted to make his little friend feel better and stop him from crying. It wasn't fair that the adults had treated him that way over a simple misunderstanding.

Back at the debate hall, Mr. Winchester received a standing ovation as he finished his latest point. Chas stepped up to the mike, preparing for his rebuttal.

"While I respect the viewpoint of my esteemed opponent..." He paused for a second as a camera flash alerted him to something. He saw a reflection from the projection booth. Squinting, he craned his neck to see what it was. The room was supposed to be empty; security had cleared the building ages ago. As the barrel of a rifle slipped out of the window, he realised that the reflection was from a sniper's scope. His heart raced as he realised the rifle was pointing straight for him.

He threw himself aside as the first shot fired, hitting the wall behind him. As he took cover behind the podium, the second and third shots hit it, splintering the wood. The guards started looking around frantically for the shooter.

"The projector room!" Chas yelled to one of the guards. "He's in the projector room!"

The guards fired a few shots, but the would-be assassin was already behind cover. The shooter disassembled the rifle, placing it back into the toolbox and slipped out of the door, before slipping into a nearby side room. Waiting for the guards to storm the projector room, the shooter slipped down the stairs unseen and left the building through the front door like nothing had even happened.


	10. Looking for Answers

Dr. K and Gemma had finished the bulk of their tests by the time Scott came into the room, carrying a dish of microwave burritos. Dr. K looked up as she smelled the aroma from their lunch.

"Time to take a break ladies; lunch is served!" Scott announced as he placed the tray down. Gemma took one and headed got up from her seat.

"I'll just be through in the other room tracking some energy signals." She told them. Dr. K shot her a slight glare, knowing the real purpose behind her departure. She was beginning to regret her decision to tell Gemma about her feelings for Scott. She started to become decidedly uncomfortable as she realised she would be in the room alone with Scott.

"Let us know if you need a hand." Scott told her as she left. He picked up one of the burritos and cast a glance over Dr. K's shoulder at the screen. "It looks like the repairs are going well."

"Do you even know what you're looking at?" Dr. K sighed, taking one of the burritos herself. She didn't know why she did that, she was always confrontational. She had a desperate need to compete, and to seem superior. Right now though, she wished that she hadn't spoken so quickly. Scott just laughed though, he didn't seem insulted or like she was making him look stupid.

"I guess you're right, I really don't know what all of this means." He told her honestly. "It's just those percentages are high, and that graph is almost full, so I figured that was a good sign."

Dr. K smiled as she realised that he hadn't taken her careless, dismissive words badly.

"It is a good sign." She told him. "Anything above 83 percent is considered acceptable operating level. The repairs are currently at 92 percent. I expect it to hit 100 within the hour."

"Well that's good, I'd hate to face Venjix catch us off-guard." He remarked in response, taking a bite. His face slipped as some of the filling fell out of the burrito, landing on her lab coat and sliding down onto her jersey. He looked at her apologetically as she glared at him.

"I'm so sorry about that." He rushed out as he grabbed some napkins, handing them to her. "I really didn't mean that."

"It's alright; I'll just put them into the laundry." She muttered, taking off her lab coat, and throwing it aside. "It's not like I don't have plenty of clothing."

"Now that I think about it Dr. K...I don't think I've ever seen you wearing anything other than those clothes." He commented as she pulled off her jersey.

He found himself pausing and staring at her as she did this. He had only ever seen her in her full uniform and lab coat. He knew she was tiny, but he had never really taken much notice of her body before. He never realised how much her jumper and her lab coat hid her figure. Dr. K noticed him staring as she threw her jumper aside, and turned back to the computer to hide her face from him as she blushed.

"Like yourselves, I have multiple facsimiles of the same outfit." She informed him. "It is based on a principal I learned at Alphabet Soup. Noted physicist Albert Einstein only bought multiple copies of the same outfit so he would save valuable time he could by not wasting time choosing an outfit. I change my clothes every day, sometimes multiple times depending on circumstances."

"I guess that makes sense." He replied, shaking his head to bring his attention back as he realised she had stopped talking. He picked up her discarded garments, but still couldn't help looking at her. He had thought of her as many things in the time he had known her. He thought of her as a genius with an intimidating intellect. He had thought of her as his superior within Project Ranger. He had even thought of her as a girl when he saw her for the first time, realising exactly how young she was. The schoolgirl uniform and bowl cut hairdo did nothing to ease that thought, but looking at her in her pale blue short-sleeved blouse, the thought hit him that she was an adult. She was actually 18 years old, and was coming close to her 19th birthday. "I'll just put these in the laundry."

"Thank you." She replied, casting a small glance back to him. She had to do a double-take as she realised he was still staring at her. "Scott..."

"Yes?" He asked her as his attention was snapped back.

"Why are you staring at me?" She asked him. She played with a pencil in her left hand nervously. As much as she wanted Scott to see her as more than just the brains behind Project Ranger, she couldn't imagine him giving her a second thought. Her heart skipped a beat as she awaited his answer.

"I...uh..." He struggled to find an answer. He noticed that she had a pretty good body, but he hadn't realised he was noticeably staring. "I was just thinking...this is the first time I've seen you without...your lab coat."

"But I'm always in the lab. What does the fact I'm not wearing my coat have to do with anything?" She asked him. "Are you...looking at my body?"

He struggled to find a way out of that one.

"I'll just get these into the washing machine." He stammered as he turned to leave the room. He stopped short at the door and turned back a little. "For what it's worth, you do have an attractive body."

Dr. K blushed a little at the compliment. She couldn't believe her good fortune at Scott describing her as attractive. Just as the door opened, she grabbed another burrito and threw it across the room, hitting him in the back. Scott turned around, laughing slightly.

"What was that for?" He asked her. "I just complimented you!"

"Now you have some laundry as well." She replied with a mischievous grin. "Now we're even."

Scott just pulled off his t-shirt and added it to the pile, walking away. Dr. K switched the monitor to the security cameras so she could watch him take the laundry to the washing machine.

Back at the meeting hall, Chas had finished making a statement about the attempted shooting when Brie was allowed to come to him. She threw her arms around him tightly and hugged him.

"Chas, thank God you're alright!" She shrieked, kissing him repeatedly. "I almost had a heart attack when that gun went off."

"I was just lucky I saw the reflection from the scope." He told her, holding her tightly. "If I hadn't seen that, he'd have had a clear shot."

"We can all be thankful for that." Hicks responded as he arrived back on the scene. The officer he'd left in charge when he left to help the Rangers had filled him in on the assassination attempt. Brie released Chas and glowered at him, placing her hands on her hips angrily.

"You said he'd be safe!" She snapped. "You told us you'd searched the place top to bottom, you said you'd security checked everyone!"

"We did." Hicks stammered as she rounded on him.

"Tighter than a drum was the words you used." She continued to rant. "How the hell did someone get in here with a high powered sniper rifle then?"

"Brie, please try to calm down." Chas begged her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Nothing happened..."

"No thanks to him!" She snapped.

"Brie, this won't do the baby any good." He reminded her. He turned back to Hicks. He could sympathise with his position, security at the building was his responsibility. He knew that this would be far from the last he would hear about it. If nothing else, he knew that Colonel Truman would want answers too. "Do we know anything?"

"We found a body in one of the stalls in the rest room." He informed him. "She was identified as one of the janitorial staff. It seems like she was killed with a garrotte of some kind. Her uniform was missing, so it seems likely that's how the shooter managed to avoid the patrols and get into position."

"What about the rifle?" Chas asked him.

"We haven't found it, so we'll need to see what Sam says about the bullets after she analyses them." He replied. "We do know how it got in though. In the bathroom stall the janitor was found in, there was a cavity in the wall where the plaster board was ripped out. We're pretty sure the rifle was sealed up in the wall earlier to be retrieved after the security sweep."

"Whoever did this went to a lot of trouble, so I can't imagine they'll be too happy that they missed." Chas commented. "I think it'd be optimistic to believe they won't try again."

"Chas, right now I think we should get you out of here." Hicks told him. "I'll arrange an escort and have you taken..."

"With all due respect Hicks, this assassin's fooled us with disguises once already." He interrupted him. "For now it'd be best if I'm only around people I know implicitly and trust without question."

"I'll give Summer a call." Brie stated, taking out her cell phone. "I'm sure the Rangers can keep you safe."

"In the meantime, the only people who should know where you are should be myself and Colonel Truman." Hicks told him. "Also, I know you have a few more appearances to make, but outside of that, try to be in public as little as possible."

"Don't worry; I don't want to give this guy another shot." Chas replied. "I don't mind admitting this thing has me scared."

Back at the Ranger base, Gemma was finishing with the diagnostics, happy that the repairs had at last hit 100 percent when Ziggy and Tenaya arrived back at the base.

"Has Gem come back yet?" Ziggy asked her. Gemma looked up at him a little confused.

"I thought he was with you." She replied. Tenaya and Ziggy looked a little worried as she told them this. They had taken the children back to the orphanage, and made sure Charlie was alright. It had now been almost an hour since Gem had run away. They had presumed that he would return to the base. Given how frightened and upset he was, it seemed like the Garage would be the most logical place for him to go, the place he would feel safest. Dr. K and Scott arrived in the room, finding them all discussing the matter. "What happened to my brother?"

"There was a misunderstanding at the park." Ziggy told them. "One of the kids got hurt in an accident and Gem tried to help. Some of the mothers there got the wrong idea when he hugged him and started attacking him. Gem got scared and ran off."

"I'll see if I can track his morpher." Dr. K told them, running back into the lab. Gemma joined her, followed quickly by Scott. Ziggy sat on the stairs, and Tenaya joined him, putting an arm around him.

"I shouldn't have let him go." He muttered. "He was so scared, anything could have happened."

"Hey, it's not like Gem's helpless." She reminded him. "You were sure he'd end up coming back here. You know that if he stayed the crowd would have just got worse. That red-haired woman got them really stirred up and..."

"What is it?" He asked her curiously.

"You remember when that whole thing kicked off. It was the red-haired woman that started it right?" Tenaya stated. "I just remembered something odd. You know I told you that since my implants were activated my memory's been photographic right?"

"Yes." He responded, not thinking about what she could be thinking. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"What did you do first when you realised there was trouble?" Tenaya asked him. "What did you do with the kids?"

"I got them behind me." He told her.

"The mothers did the same." She told him. "All the women grabbed their kids and pulled them behind them away from Gem, all except for the red-haired woman."

"There were no other kids in the park, kids aren't allowed there unattended." Ziggy responded. "So she wasn't there with any kids."

"She didn't have any kids with her." Tenaya told him. "So what was she doing at the park?"

Mr. Winchester arrived at his mansion following some intense questioning, throwing his car carelessly into the drive-way. Suspiciously, the butler did not come out to take the keys from him and take it to the garage. He muttered under his breath about the lack of good help. This was not the best of days for his underlings to decide they weren't doing their jobs. He had been questioned for hours about the attempt on Chas' life. Despite being his son, right now Mr. Winchester was the man with the most obvious motive for wanting him killed. They were the only two candidates for the election. If one of them was eliminated, the other would run unopposed.

He arrived in the sitting room, finding his wife, his house keeper, his cook and his butler all sitting on the couch. He stormed into the room.

"I don't pay you all to sit around you lazy..."

His words were interrupted as he heard a cough from behind him. It was only then that he saw the look of fear in all their faces. He turned around, finding two members of the Scorpion Cartel with blaster rifles trained on them. One of them gestured to the side door.

"The boss wants to see you in your office." He instructed him. Mr. Winchester just nodded in understanding and made his way out. Ever since Fresno Bob found out the truth, that Chas was really his son, he had warned him that he would be watching over Chas. If the military thought that Mr. Winchester was the prime suspect, then it was likely that Bob did too. He made his way upstairs, finding the aging gang boss sitting on a large, red leather couch in his office. He poured a glass of wine from a decanter, and offered one to Mr. Winchester.

"Don't mind if I have one do you?" He said as more of a statement than a question, pouring himself a glass. Mr. Winchester took it nervously. Bob's voice was low, quiet, and cold, lacking any emotion. Mr. Winchester's hand shook as he took a sip, realising that his life was in danger if he didn't satisfy Fresno Bob that he was not responsible for the attack.

"I saw the debate on television." Fresno Bob told him as he started to pace the room. "You do remember our last discussion don't you?"

"Of course I remember!" He stammered as confidently as he could under the circumstances. "I had nothing to do with that attack!"

"You have to do better than that to convince me." Bob warned him. "You haven't exactly been the best of fathers."

"Chas wanted for nothing growing up!" He spat bitterly. "He went to the finest schools; he had the best of care..."

"He had a father that cares more about his own image than his boy!" Fresno Bob roared, interrupting him. "I now you've hurt him and I know you've sunk low to swing votes, but even I would never have thought you capable of having him killed."

"Of course I wouldn't do that!" Mr. Winchester told him. "Murder is your business, not mine."

"You need to tread carefully if you don't want to find out how good I am at that business." He stated flatly. "This assassin was a professional. They managed to get into a highly secure location with a high powered rifle, take a shot, and get out again without anyone seeing anything!"

"Do you really think I'd know where to hire anyone with those kinds of skills?" Mr. Winchester asked him. "I always relied on you for the dirty business."

"I'm not the only gangster in Corinth." Bob reminded him. "It's not like you don't have the money to pay for someone like The Wraith."

"The Wraith?" He gasped. "But...The Wraith doesn't exist! It's an urban legend!"

"The location was accessed by use of a disguise, and no witnesses were left." Fresno Bob told him. "That's the right MO."

"It wasn't me." Mr. Winchester told him flatly.

"What makes you think I believe you?" Fresno Bob asked him.

"Because if I had the connections to get The Wraith, don't you think I'd have set him on you by now?" Mr. Winchester asked him. "You have threatened my life."

"I suppose that's true." Fresno Bob said with a frightening sneer that suggested he was almost impressed with the answer he gave. "So if it wasn't you, then who was it?"

"He's in politics now, there's no shortage of enemies in that game." Mr. Winchester reminded him. "A lot of powerful people stand to lose a lot of money if he wins, including the Cartels if he maintains his promise to dedicate more resources to combating organised crime."

"I run the most powerful firm in this city." Fresno Bob reminded him. "Anyone who went after him would end up taking a dirt nap."

"Of course you and I are the only ones that know of his connection to you." Mr. Winchester reminded him. "Like you said, you aren't the only gangster in Corinth, and I'm not exactly the only one with the means to hire someone like The Wraith."

"If you know anything else, I want to know." Bob warned him. "If you don't tell me everything..."

"The military's treating me as the chief suspect." Mr. Winchester interrupted him. "If anything happens to Chas, it's as bad for me as anything you could do to me."

"Don't be so sure." Fresno Bob stated as he finished the glass, before smashing it on the floor. He left, leaving Mr. Winchester to breathe a sigh of relief. This was not a good day.

In the Garage, Dr. K came back into the main room, finding the others assembled. Summer, Dillon and Flynn had all come back once Sam was called away to examine the scene of the shooting. They were now all very worried about Gem's whereabouts. Normally they wouldn't be, but given the state he was in when he ran off, he wasn't in the best frame of mind.

"We found his signal." Dr. K told them. "He's gone into the wastes."

"The wastes?" Summer shrieked. "Why would he do that?"

"It's the only place things make sense right now." Gemma explained. "We were on our own out there for a long time. He knows no one will follow him out there. He understands things out there."

"We need to get him back." Dillon told them. "I've spent a lot of time out there too, maybe I should go."

"No offence pal, but he is pretty shaken up right now." Flynn told him. "When it comes to comforting people, you aren't exactly a Care Bear."

"I'll go." Scott told them. "If too many of us go, Venjix will be able to track our bio signatures."

"Please, get him back." Gemma begged him. Scott smiled and nodded his head.

"I'll keep the lines of communication open." He told them as he got into his car. "I'll be back with him as soon as I can."

As he sped off, Summer's cell phone rang. She answered it, finding Brie on the other line.

"Summer, we've got our stuff packed. Can you pick us up?" She asked the Yellow Ranger.

"We'll be over shortly." Summer assured her. "Try to relax, you and Chas will be fine."

Back at the orphanage, Ms. Foster was getting the children ready for dinner when she went to check on Charlie. The lump on his head was still large, and sore, but as usual, he had bounced back from it. She came to have another look at him.

"Are you feeling any better?" She asked him. He frowned and shook his head.

"My hand hurts." He whined. Ms. Foster frowned at him and checked his hands. One of them was significantly redder than the other. She got a tube of burn cream out of the drawer on the desk and applied it.

"How did you do that?" She asked him. "I thought you'd have hurt yourself enough for one day."

"I hurt it when I hurt my head." He told her. "Before the bar broke, it got really hot and hurt my hand."

Ms. Foster finished with the burn cream and sent him back to play with the others before dinner. She picked up the phone and dialled Ziggy. Something about this accident didn't sound right.


	11. Hero in the Wastes

Hicks came into the Ranger base, finding Chas and Brie in the main room with Summer and Dillon. Gemma, Flynn and Dr. K were checking the scanning equipment and relaying information to Scott so he could retrieve Gem from the wastes. Ziggy and Tenaya had gone back to the park following the phone call from Ms. Foster to investigate the accident further.

"Hicks, did you find out anything?" Chars asked as he arrived.

"All we can tell is that the shooter used a Walther WA 2000 sniper rifle." Hicks told him.

"That's pretty retro." Chas commented. "I thought the only one left was in the museum."

"Apparently not, but it is extremely rare." Hicks told him. "There were only about a dozen ever made. It's a pretty safe bet that whoever used it had it from before the invasion."

"So who owned them?" Dillon asked. "If there were only a dozen..."

"Eight of them were owned by the military. Only one of those was brought to Corinth. We checked with the museum and it's still there."

"So what happened to the other four?" Summer asked him. Hicks shook his head.

"It was a pretty prohibitively expensive piece of equipment, but at one time it was pretty much the best rifle available. The other four were purchased privately. Some of the world's premier assassins have used it."

"Apparently one still is." Chas commented. "It still doesn't tell us which of them it is."

"We have a theory on that, but I don't think you're going to like it." Hicks replied. "Have you ever heard of The Wraith?"

"The invisible assassin?" Hicks asked him. "You think I'm being hunted by an urban legend?"

"Who's The Wraith?" Brie asked them.

"No one knows, he was never captured." Hicks told her. "His MO is to be able to get into highly secure locations through the use of disguises. He leaves no trace of forensic evidence; he's never even appeared on security footage. A lot of authorities don't even believe he exists."

"But the shooter got into position by using a disguise." Brie reminded them.

"I really hope we're wrong about this." Hicks told him. "Until further notice, we can't take any chances with this."

"Look this guy might be good, but he's just a man." Dillon commented.

"He's more than just that." Hicks told him, remembering the files he had read on the case. The authorities had been pursuing evidence on several high-profile unsolved assassinations for many years. "We believe he's pulled off some of the most complicated assassinations in recent history. If it is him, then we can't take any chances."

"I can't hide for the rest of my life." Chas stated. "There's only one other option. We draw him out, and we catch him."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Hicks asked him. Chas just smiled.

"My wedding rehearsal's tomorrow." He reminded them. "It'll be the first time I'll be in the open. He won't be able to resist."

"Chas, you can't be serious!" Brie shrieked, staring at him in horror. "You're going to go out there and make yourself a walking bull's eye?"

"Brie, I can't hide for the rest of my life." He told her. "Whoever's been hired to come after me isn't going to give up. We need to catch him. This is the best way."

"I couldn't bear it if something happened to you." She told him, holding him tightly.

"I'm scared too Brie, but this guy has to be stopped." He reminded her. "Besides, we have a wedding to prepare for."

"I guess we do." She replied sadly. She'd have happily delayed the wedding while they found the man trying to kill her fiancé, but he had a point. They had no idea who this assassin was. There was no way to find him. They had to draw him out if they were going to find him.

Gem wandered in the wastes, completely distraught over the incident in the play park. As the sun beat down on him mercilessly, he took a seat on a rock and cast his gaze back to Corinth.

He wiped away a few tears as he recalled the incident. It had all happened so quickly, he still didn't fully understand what had happened. The monkey bars had seemed fine earlier when he had been playing on them. He was too far away to catch Charlie when the mar broke off, and could only watch as he fell.

His head bounced off the ground, and he started screaming. He just wanted to help his little friend, and when he had satisfied himself that his head injury wasn't serious, he had just held him to try and calm him down after his fright. That was when the woman had started screaming at him.

He looked up as a human-shaped shadow was cast over him. He looked up, finding Scott standing over him.

"Is Charlie OK?" He asked the Red Ranger. Scott smiled and nodded.

"He'll be fine." Scott told him. "You know you had us all pretty worried when you ran off the way you did."

"No one wants me there." He muttered as he fidgeted uncomfortably on the rock. "They all hate me. They said mean things and hit me."

He turned to Scott, looking up at him, playing with his medal.

"Why did they scream at me?" He asked him. "I don't know what I did wrong."

"Gem, you didn't do anything wrong." Scott told him, sitting down beside him and putting an arm around him. "They just didn't understand why you were holding Charlie. Sometimes people judge too quickly."

"Did they think...that I was going to hurt him?" Gem asked him. Scott sighed; he didn't really know how to explain to Gem why they had turned on him. He just nodded. "But, he's my friend, I'd never hurt him."

"I know that Gem, but they didn't." He tried to explain. "They didn't understand that you're his friend and that you were only trying to make him feel better. They thought you were..."

"They thought I was going to try and molest him?" Gem asked him. Scott just looked at him a little dumbfounded. "I may be childish, but I'm not stupid."

"Sometimes I guess I forget how smart you are." Scott commented. "Sometimes, people are just a little suspicious of a 24 year old guy that wants to spend time with kids."

"He's only my friend." Gem told him. "I know about that kind of stuff. I'd never touch any of the kids like that. I was only playing with them."

"I guess they were just worried about their kids." Scott suggested. "You like those kids right? What would you do if you thought someone was trying to hurt them?"

"I'd make them stop." He replied with an understanding nod. "I'm just sad that I'm not allowed to be with my friends anymore."

"Of course you're allowed to be with them." Scott told him warmly. He grabbed the medal and showed it to Gem. "You're a Hero of Corinth remember? Why wouldn't Ms. Foster want you hanging around with the kids?" Gem laughed a little.

"I guess I was just upset because I didn't understand them being so angry." He commented.

"Do you feel ready to come home?" Scott asked him. "We were all pretty worried about you."

Gem got up and smiled, wiping his eyes and nodded. Scott gestured back to his car, but Gem put a hand on his chest, stopping him. He pointed a little way off to a patch of sand.

"Scott, you came from the city." He stated, coming over to a few footprints. Scott looked at them curiously. "So whose footprints are these?"

"They're human." Scott commented. Just then, they heard a commotion a little way off in the valley below them. Scott and Gem made their way to a vantage point a little way from them and looked over, finding a few people making their way through the wastes. One of them was an old man in a military uniform, with a black beret, the uniform of the infantry regiments that fought in the Battle of Corinth. They seemed to be looking for Corinth, but instead had found a patrol of Grinders. They held their hands up and surrendered as the Grinders trained their weapons on them.

"More prisoners?" Scott asked. "They must have escaped, but where from? We're miles from the factory compounds!"

"Maybe there's another compound we don't know about." Gem suggested. They watched as the Grinders put the prisoners into restraints and started to lead them off. "Let's get them..."

"Let's get them? That's the extent of your plan?" Scott asked him. Gem just looked at him a little curiously. "They're miles from the other compounds, way further than they could have made it if they didn't have transport or supplies."

"So you want to follow them and find the other compound." Gem replied with a smile as he realised what he was getting at. "Then we can..."

"Boom time will have to wait." Scott told him as he got some clothing out the trunk of his car, throwing an outfit to Gem. "Right now we have to blend in. We need to know where they're taking them."

"I guess we can do it your way." Gem replied with a shrug, beginning to put on his disguise. "You're the boss after all."

Back in the city, a man walked into a bar, accompanied by three bodyguards. The patrons knew better than to pay too much attention to him, this was Spike Mike, one of the leading gangsters in Corinth. They had already watched the heads of three of the other Cartels, the Sweet Tooths, the Blue Crew and the Yo Yo Brothers enter and head into the back. It was clear something was going down, but it wasn't considered wise to ask questions. He walked up to the bar and gestured over the barman.

"I'm here for the meeting." He told him. The barman just gestured into the back. Spike Mike led his bodyguards into the back room, finding the others already waiting for him.

Spike was a huge man, over six feet tall and a solid 220 pounds of muscle. He had grown up in a rough area in Omega City, and had spent most of his formative years getting an education on the streets, and in various juvenile detention facilities before finally graduating to the adult prison system. He had grown up with the code of the streets. Violence was the ultimate authority, and that meant the only way to stop others destroying everything they held dear was to have a stronger gang.

His boots made a distinctive crunching sound as he walked the floor. His leather trousers did nothing to hide his strong legs, and his t-shirt was stretched tightly over his frame. A shoulder harness carried a large, powerful hand blaster for all to see. To Mike, power was something that needed t be show, not hidden to have the desired effect. He flipped his dreadlocks out of his face as he surveyed the other crime bosses.

He took a seat on a crate and looked around at the others. They had each brought a couple of henchmen in case something went down. These situations were always tense affairs, and they knew the risk involved in cutting the Scorpion Cartel out of the loop.

Newmark, the leader of the Sweet Tooths was sitting, as usual, with a massive brown paper bag of sweets and candy nestled in the crook of his arm, cradled as carefully as a child. His massive belly poured over the waist band of his suit trousers. Spike nodded towards him in greeting, earning him a small smile before he shoved another fudge bar into his mouth. Spike Mike had never really respected Newmark as a man, but had to acknowledge the power he had amassed. Unlike him, Newmark wouldn't get directly involved in his business affairs, preferring to let hired guns deal with any combat that was needed. He also tended to stay away from violent crimes, preferring to deal in fraud, drug trafficking, moonshining and black marketeering. To him, crime was a business, nothing more. Certainly nothing worth getting his own hands dirty for.

"You're late." Ronan reprimanded him from his position in the corner, lounging on an aging couch, covered in a horrendous, dusty green felt. Of all the other cartels, Ronan and his Blue Crew were the ones he had most run ins with before Fresno Bob pressured them into brokering the territorial agreements. Ronan was nowhere near as muscular as him, but was almost as tall. He and Mike had battled for many years for dominance of Omega City before the invasions. While he had battled with him many times, their animosity also hid something of an understanding and a grudging respect. He knew that Ronan was just as willing to throw himself into his battles as he was. They both dealt in much the same businesses, mainly in robbery, protection and money lending. Naturally this meant that it was important they observed the borders of each other's territories to ensure things didn't spill over into violence. It didn't always work though, and occasionally small skirmishes still occurred. Old scores that were still unsettled occasionally got the better of both firms and led to small skirmishes between their borders being common.

"Sorry, but I actually had things to do." He replied with a derisive snort as his henchmen found places to stand out of the way. He heard a small laugh from a little way off and turned to glare at the only cartel bosses not to turn up with an entourage, the Yo Yo brothers.

"Do you have something to say Eric?" He snapped at the younger of the two brothers. He just shrugged as he continued to absent-mindedly play with his yo yo, performing tricks with it. They were the smallest, and newest of the Cartels, though they had already earned place among the criminal elite of the city. They didn't advertise their roots, though rumours abounded that they had some kind of background with the Sweet Tooths before the attacks. They tended to operate mainly in low level raids, shop breakings and other crimes performed more for the violence and chaos than any real gain.

Eric and his brother, Jake, were identical twins. Neither was huge, though they were toned, and carried themselves with an irreverent, disrespectful manner that made anyone out with their circle of friends hate them intensely. They had both been fighters for a long time, taking part in illegal pit fights from a young age, earning themselves their title of "The Yo Yo Brothers" in team events because of their habit of carrying the toys with them into the arena, sometimes using them as weapons in the bout, but mostly just because they thought they were cool. They dominated the circuit until they got the money and power to run such contests themselves. Between a few dangerous jobs no one else was insane enough to try, and illegal gambling on such contests, they had already amassed a wealth only surpassed by the Scorpion Cartel.

All of their operatives had been recruited from the fighting pits, and as such were both highly dangerous, and more than a little unstable. The brothers themselves were widely known to be bordering on being insane. The other Cartels looked down on them at first, but quickly they proved to be a force to be reckoned with. They regularly hired their members out as muscle, regularly taking on and completing jobs other, saner criminals would never attempt. They enjoyed the reputation almost as much as they enjoyed the irritation they caused the other Cartels by forcing them t acknowledge them as equals.

"I just think it's funny the way you two keep flirting with each other." Eric replied in a giggle. Mike just let out a low growl as h considered retaliating.

"You wanted to see me?" A voice interrupted them with a small cough. They all turned towards the door, seeing a man standing there, looking completely out of place. He wore an immaculate, expensive white suit and black shoes, shined to a mirror finish. He had a white shirt, and a white silk tie.

He was a lot older than all of them, seeming to be somewhere in his early fifties, with silver hair and a moustache. His eyes were a little wrinkled, as befitted his age, and his eyes were a deep brown. In his hand, he clutched a shiny black cane, topped with a decorative silver handle, carved into the shape of a hooded, skull-faced creature. Ronan looked at him a little dismissively.

"You're The Wraith?" He asked him a little sceptically. The stranger just laughed in response.

"I do not have that honour, no. My employer never meets anyone face to face. No one that lives to tell about the experience anyway, I am merely a messenger." He replied, bowing low. "You may call me Mr. De Winter."

"We ain't going to talk to no damned flunky!" Spike Mike spat as he stood up, confronting the stranger. "You go and tell him we talk to him or we talk to no one."

"I understand your position." He replied with a dry tone, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a palm pilot. "If you do not wish to do business any further, then my employer is more than willing to refund your fee and call it a day. We appreciate you d not pay for failure, regardless of how rare failure is for my employer."

"We just want to know why the Winchester kid's still breathing!" Newmark snapped at him.

"My employer deeply regrets that…mistake." He assured them. "Moves are under way to rectify that situation. Naturally the second attempt will be pro bono."

"If you think we're just going to sit here and watch while some jumped up butler with a stupid accent takes our money and gives us the run around, you're sadly mistaken." Spike Mike warned him. "We need Winchester dead before the election Friday…"

"He will be terminated by then as promised." Mr. De Winter told them. "Of course, if you wish your money back, then I can arrange that, and we'll all go our separate ways."

"You make sure your employer knows that we're not some punks that can be taken for a ride." Rona warned him. "We just need to make sure he gets the message. Would you prefer a broken arm, or a broken leg?"

Ronan gestured his two bodyguards forward. Spike Mike and Newmark did likewise. The Yo Yo Brothers just sat back whispering to each other.

Mr. De Winter gave a small smile, before reaching into his jacket. He cast out two shuriken, scoring hits into the skulls of both Newmark's henchmen, killing them before they could hit the ground.

He twisted the head of the cane, pulling out a short, thin-bladed sword and immediately set about the others. Bones shattered beneath his punches and kicks. He finished them off with strikes from his sword with practiced ease, leaving six corpses on the ground around him.

"That will cost you an extra 100,000 a head." He told them as he straightened out his suit. "My boss doesn't like it when his employees are threatened."

Spike Mike reached for his blaster, but Mr. De Winter levelled the point of his sword at his jugular, stopping him.

"We do not believe in killing those paying us. Where's the profit in that?" He asked him. "The price for you has just gone up another 100,000 Mr. Spike Mike."

With that, he just turned and left the room.

"Mr. Winchester's funeral will take place." He told them. "That much is a promise."

As he left, his cell phone rang. He answered it, knowing his employer was calling to check on him. Only one person contacted him on that phone.

"Do the clients understand the job is still on?" The Wraith asked him.

"They do." Mr. De Winter answered. "The fee's gone up another 100,000 for Mr. Newmark, Ronan and the Yo Yo Brothers. 200,000 for Spike Mike."

"Did you run into trouble?" The Wraith asked him.

"Nothing I couldn't handle. I just need to go to a dry cleaner before I come back to the office." He told him.

"Have you made the arrangements for the Wedding rehearsal?" The Wraith asked him.

"The information you requested has already been sent to your drop box." Mr. De Winter answered.

"Then take the rest of the day off." The Wraith told him. "I'll call you tomorrow once the job's done."

"Very good sir." Mr. De Winter replied as he hung up. He straightened out his appearance, replaced his sword in his cane and walked down the street, whistling casually. Business was running smoothly again.


	12. Gold Returns

The prisoners were being led to a transport vehicle a little way off. Commander MURDOCH glared hatefully at the Grinders as they shoved and corralled them like cattle back towards the vehicle. He and the few prisoners he had managed to release from the nearby camp had been running for a few hours now, but exhaustion was already beginning to tell on them.

He squinted as he saw a few more Grinders coming into view, escorting a couple of other prisoners. Both of them were wearing heavy robes, and their faces were almost completely concealed, but he got a curious look on his face as he realised that they were not with the group he had escaped with. Either they had escaped in the confusion he had caused earlier, or they had come from somewhere else.

As they approached, one of the grinders snatched something from one of the new prisoners' neck and inspected it. He didn't recognise exactly what it was, but it appeared to be some kind of military medal, and the Grinders seemed to be interested in it for some reason.

As they were guided back into formation, he made his way up behind them, nudging Scott gently.

"Are you military?" He asked him. Scott just nodded. "Are you…from Corinth?"

"We are." He whispered, ensuring their guards didn't hear. The Commander got a small smirk on his face as he heard this.

"I'm Commander Murdoch; I was with the 10th Infantry." He whispered. Scott nodded, a little impressed to hear this. He had heard of the exploits of the 10th Infantry many times. They were almost a legendary unit, with numerous honours to their credit. "You can get us out of here."

"No!" Scott whispered, though the Commander by now wasn't listening. All the other prisoners in this group were not military, and he knew they would be no match for the Grinders, the only reason he surrendered, knowing that he couldn't hope to release them by himself. Now he knew that he wasn't alone though, the thought of releasing them had taken over, and he was running on instinct.

"I'll distract them." He told them. "Help me take them out!"

Before Scott could stop him, the Commander ran off, attacking the Grinders, and catching them of guard, before snatching a weapon from one. He managed to get off a few shots, destroying three of them before being overpowered. Scott realised his plan had gone awry, and just indicated to Gem that the time for disguises was over. He couldn't just watch the Commander being executed.

"RPM, Get in Gear!" They called out together, charging the rest of the Grinders. Their strength augmented by their morph, they easily broke out of their restraints. Within seconds, the Grinders were destroyed.

"So what branch of the military are you?" He asked them. Scott just gestured to the truck.

"We can explain everything later. We were trying to find out where you escaped from." He replied. "We were hoping to take out the whole installation in one assault, free all the hostages."

"We were imprisoned in a camp where people were being implanted with Venjix technology." He informed them. Scott and Gem just stared at each other, horrified to hear this. They were certain that the plant in Omega City had been the only facility where infiltration units were being created. They were certain that with the exception of D46, Tenaya and Dillon, all of them had been destroyed. "Venjix is trying to infiltrate several hybrids into the city to begin an invasion…"

"Of course they also knew that there was a Ranger energy signature in the area." One of the prisoners stated, moving towards them. He was a slender man, barely more than a kid, around 18 or so. He pulled his hands apart snapping his restraints with ease, causing Gem and Scott to shove the Commander aside and face the infiltrator. "You don't really think you escaped do you old man? Venix just sent me with your little escape party to flush the Rangers out!"

"My morpher!" Gem yelped as he realised where they were. "I ran too far from the dome, Vejix must have traced my signal!"

"Now I get to destroy two Rangers for the master." The infiltrator stated, calling forth a blaster attachment on each of its hands. "Once I'm done with you, the hero here will learn what it means to defy Venjix."

Back in Corinth, Ziggy and Tenaya returned from their trip to the park, laying a metal bar down in front of Dr. K.

"Doc, check this out." Ziggy told her. "I found it in the play park. It's from the monkey bars Charlie fell from."

"What am I meant to be looking for?" Dr. K asked him. Ziggy showed her the edges of the bar.

"Ms Foster called and told me that Charlie burned his hand. He said the bar got hot when he held it before it broke off." Ziggy told her. "The edges are smooth. The bar didn't break, it was cut!"

"You think this wasn't an accident?" Gemma asked them.

"We're sure of it." Tenaya replied, loading in a copy of some security footage. "We got this from a camera near the park. It shows Charlie's accident."

She played the footage, zooming in as close as she could, pausing as soon as the bar broke.

"I don't see anything." Summer chipped in. Gem and Dr. K just looked at each other.

"Laser!" They responded together. The others all looked at each other a little confused.

"Lasers are essentially light concentrated on an area, creating heat. That's why the bar heated up." Dr. K told them as she adjusted the settings. "The bar's made of metal, and so it conducted the heat, that's why Charlie burned his hand."

"Of course since it is light, some lasers may exist beyond the visible spectrum." Gemma concluded. Dr. K finally adjusted the picture enough that the Rangers could see the laser, cutting the bar neatly while missing the boy.

"Do we have any idea where it came from?" Summer asked. Dr. K ran the footage back a little, and panned the picture around, finding a figure in the bushes nearby.

"That's the source of the laser." She concluded. She brought the footage back to the correct viewing mode and zoomed in enough for them to see.

"The red-haired woman!" Ziggy and Tenaya shrieked together, seeing her. "She set up Gem!"

"Don't they normally complain when Gem and I do that?" Gemma whispered to Dr. K, causing her to give out a small sort as she tried not to laugh.

"Her hand, isn't that the same as…?"

Tenaya answered Summer's question by activating the blaster mode in her right hand, showing them the same weapon.

"I thought all the infiltrators were destroyed." Ziggy commented, looking up to where Dillon and his girlfriend were both staring at him. "Well…you know what I meant."

"So there's at least one more of us in the city." Dillon remarked. "We have to find her…"

"Guys, we can't leave Chas and Brie unattended." Summer reminded them. "It'd leave them open targets."

"Don't worry, I'll find her." Tenaya replied, returning her hand to normal. "It's time my little red-headed sister learned it isn't nice to hurt kids."

Before anyone could stop her, she sprinted out of the room. Dillon grabbed Ziggy.

"She's tough, she'll be fine." He told him reassuringly. "Right now Dr. K's right, we need to make sure we keep an eye on Chas."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it." Ziggy grumbled, looking out the door longingly. "You and she haven't exactly got a close relationship with your siblings."

Out in the wastes, Scott and Gem fought hard against the new infiltration unit, keeping it from harming the other prisoners. The Commander watched on in awe, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

Scott was smashed to the ground by a powerful blast to the chest, leaving him prone. Gem tried to cover him, but the infiltrator tossed him aside.

"One down, and one to go." He sneered, preparing for the death blow. Just as he powered up the attack, a steel crossbow bolt struck him in the chest, impaling him. Scott saw a couple of flashing lights on the arrowhead and heard a beeping noise which grew steadily louder, and more frequent. He rushed across, tackling the Commander to the ground and shielding him from the explosion.

Blood-stained mechanical parts and a few pieces of human tissue remained visible, still attached to the legs of what had been seemingly a human being until a few minutes ago. He looked up to see D46 standing on a nearby ridge with a crossbow in his hands.

"You need me to bail you out again?" He said sarcastically, approaching them. "Maybe you should stick to hiding in the dome and pretending the big bad wolf isn't out here trying to blow your little house down."

He kicked the few bloody remains of the infiltrator and snorted in disgust.

"I thought I'd destroyed them all." He said gruffly.

"There's a camp not far from here, about 7 miles west of this location where they're making more." Scott told him. D46 just looked up at him as he said this.

"Do you still have that flying whale thing?" He asked him. "If so, get it and blow that whole camp to atoms!"

"We can't just do that, there are people in there." Scott told him. "Innocent people!"

"Like this guy?" D46 asked him, kicking the remains again. "He didn't look so innocent to me."

"We need a plan of attack." Scott responded. "For now, we're taking these prisoners back to Corinth. Then we'll figure out…"

"Good, you do that." D46 snapped as he walked away. "In the meantime, I'll check out that camp and see if I can figure out a way to prune my family tree once and for all."

Scott shook his head in defeat, knowing he could never reason with the unstable Cyborg. It would only lead to another fight, one which neither side would gain from. He decided it was best to take small victories and get the prisoners home.

"Gem, you drive the truck, I'll take the Commander in my car." He instructed the Gold Ranger. "It's time these people got to somewhere safe."

Back at the Garage an alarm went off, causing all of them to look at the monitor.

"There are multiple life signs and at least two vehicles heading towards the city." Dr. K told them. "It's odd, one of them indicates Venjix technology, but the other is carrying an IFF beacon."

"Who thought attaching those to the vehicles was daft?" Flynn taunted her with a slightly cocky grin on his face. He had designed Identification beacons that he had planted on all the Ranger's vehicles in case they needed to take them out with the dome. Dr. K had never envisioned them having to do so, and so had at first been sceptical as to the value of such an addition. Right now though, it seemed to be doing its job.

"I'll put the base on a full lockdown as soon as you leave." Dr. K told them. "Venjix is sending something immensely powerful against the city. You need to intercept it!"

"Dr. K, this is Scott!" He announced over the radio as he got back into range of the city and the lines of communication opened. "We're returning to the city with some prisoners. Have dad open gate 12 and let us in!"

"There is something powerful approaching fast from your six o'clock." Dr. K informed him. "The team is on his way."

Tenaya returned to the park, taking a look around in the hopes of finding some trace of her newest "sister".

She pulled a scanner out of her pocket and ran it across the ground, finding it registering a hit. She checked the readout, finding an odd result.

"So you figured it out then little girl." She heard a voice from behind her. Tenaya put the scanner away and stood up slowly, turning around to find the red-haired woman standing before her.

"You sprayed a psychoactive agent into the area." Tenaya responded. "The ground still has traces of it. That's why the other women turned on Gem so quickly."

"So I guess you figured out I'm responsible for the accident then." She replied. "I was sent to destabilise the team and undermine the city's confidence in the Rangers."

"Not a bad plan, there's only one little problem." Tenaya told her. "You hurt one of the kids! For that you're seriously going to hurt!"

"I don't think so Tenaya. Do you really think an obsolete model like yourself could beat me? Mariette, generation 18, Venjix human infiltration..."

"Now I know how the Rangers felt when I used to ramble like that." Tenaya interrupted her. "I can't believe I used to sound like that."

"Don't worry." Mariette responded, converting both hands into blasters. "By the time I'm finished, you'll be silenced permanently."

Meanwhile, the Rangers arrived outside the dome, assembling by the gate. Colonel Truman had arrived with Hicks and a guard contingent to escort the prisoners inside. Flynn pointed into the distance.

"Here they come." He told them with a huge grin on his face. "They're here!"

Just then, they noticed flashes as energy blasts narrowly missed the vehicles as they raced back to the city.

"That ship, isn't that Venjix's personal fighter?" Dillon asked as he recognised the vehicle chasing them from the time he had attacked them on their way to Omega City. "I thought it was destroyed!"

"I guess he rebuilt it." Summer replied as the two vehicles skidded to a halt. Scott and Commander MURDOCH raced over to Colonel Truman, saluting as they arrived.

"Commander MURDOCH? I was sure you were gone for good." He responded, returning the salute. "We need to fall back. You can tell me more about where these prisoners came from inside."

"It's no use hiding inside your dome!" Venjix roared as it leapt out of the cockpit and landed a little way from them. The Rangers all stared it its hideous new body as it grew to massive size. "As you can see, I've upgraded my systems."

"That's an upgrade?" Summer asked him a little incredulously. "It's just as well you were created and not born. That's a face not even a mother could love."

"Too right." Scott replied. "Dr. K, downmorph the Skyrev Megazord!"

Back at the park, Tenaya flew through the jungle gym as Mariette blasted her again. The battle had been fierce, and both cyborgs were feeling the effects, but now the tide had turned. Tenaya was quickly beginning to realise that Mariette hadn't been lying when she had claimed to be a more advanced model.

She pulled herself to her knees, and held her hand to her head, before checking her hand, finding it covered in blood.

"You've fought well Tenaya." Mariette taunted her, kicking her hard in the ribs. Tenaya curled up, fighting for breath as the infiltrator circled her. She checked her own injuries and snorted in disgust. "Some of these actually hurt. Of course I still have access to the regenerative serum. I'll be fine in a few hours."

She grabbed Tenaya by the throat and lifted her up with one arm, staring into her eyes.

"I guess I'm the one that has to rid the world of outdated technology." She stated in a chuckle, beginning to squeeze the life out of her foe. "How does it feel to be old, broken down..."

Her words were cut off as Tenaya used all the strength she could muster to kick her hard in the stomach, getting some space. Mariette responded by grabbing her and throwing her down into the wreckage of the jungle gym.

"Why do you continue to fight?" Mariette asked her. "You know you can't win, it's only a matter of time before I beat you. All that will be different is how much you suffer before I put you out of your misery."

"You're right about one thing Mariette, you are stronger than me." Tenaya responded in forced gasps, struggling to get to her feet. "You forget though, I've been an infiltrator longer than you. I have something you don't."

"What? You're more experienced?" Mariette asked her, advancing on her, powering up her blasters. She suddenly tripped and fell. She looked down, seeing Tenaya's hand gripping her ankle.

Tenaya grabbed a pipe with a sharpened end and used it to impale Mariette, pinning her to the ground, before retrieving her hand. She activated her blaster function and let loose with all the power she still had, destroying her head, ending her existence. She recalled her blaster as she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness.

"I'm sneakier." She muttered as she finally passed out.

Back outside the dome, the Rangers were busy with Venjix's new body. The Skyrev Megazord was rocked by another powerful blast.

"His power levels are off the chart." Flynn announced. "We can't take much more of this."

"We're down doc!" Scott informed her as they hit the ground. "We're nearly out."

"Activating self-righting afterburners now!" She responded as the Megazord sprang up onto its feet, staggering Venjix as it prepared the final attack.

"Right, we've got him off-balance." Scott barked as they rushed forward, grabbing the robot and holding it tightly. "We've got him right where we want him. Weapons to full power!"

"So much for repairs being complete." Dr. K grumbled to herself as the Rangers fired their primary weapon at point-blank range, knocking Venjix out of its full size form, but also scattering themselves out of the Megazord.

"It's no matter; I would prefer to finish you in person anyway." Venjix snarled as it charged. Gem rushed to intercept him. Gemma was about to join him, but Scott gestured to the others to stay back.

"He's got this." Scott told them. "Dr. K, hack into the city's emergency broadcasting frequency and pipe the live feed into the city. Let's have the city see what Corinth's latest hero has in him."

Gem fought with an unrestrained passion, almost besting Venjix, though he was blasted aside. Venjix swayed on his feet.

"We have to help him!" Summer shrieked.

"Gem's got this!" Scott told her, calling forth his Street Sabre. "Trust me! Gem, use this!"

Scott threw the Street Sabre into the air. Seeing this, Gem leapt up, landing on it and activated the flight mode on his Cloud Hatchet.

Venjix unleashed the extent of its power, sending lasers surging towards him. Gem soared around them all, riding the Street Sabre like a surfboard.

"Street Sabre strike!" Gem called out, scoring the final blow. The Rangers cheered as the robot exploded.

"That was awesome!" His sister shrieked as she ran over to him, bouncing with excitement. "Ka Boom!"

"You did great Gem, you really deserve that medal." Scott told him. "And all of Corinth saw what a hero you really are."

"You let me handle that on my own to make people like me?" Gem asked him. Scott nodded in response.

"Dr. K and Ziggy are already working on proving that Charlie's accident was a set up." Gemma told him. "They think someone wanted to turn Corinth against you."

"Well I hope they all believe me." Gem replied. He handed back the Street Sabre. "Thanks for lending me that. I can see why you like it."

"Well maybe some time you can lend me that Cloud Hatchet." Scott suggested. "I'd like to give that surfing thing a go. It looked like a blast!"

"It really was." Gem replied, looking at the wreckage. "And Venjix felt every inch of it."

The Rangers returned to the Garage, finding Dr. K working on Tenaya's injuries. Ziggy rushed over to her, hugging her tightly.

"Ten, what the hell happened to you?" He asked her, kissing her tenderly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm better than her." Tenaya responded, pointing to a table with a white, blood-stained cloth over it. Summer looked at it, her nose wrinkling as she realised it was the rough shape of a human body. "It's the red-haired woman from the park. She was an infiltrator."

"When we were outside the dome, we found out there's a camp where they're making more." Scott informed them. "We ran into one in the wastes."

"What happened?" Dillon asked him.

"Your favourite sibling blew him to pieces." Scott replied. "He's intent on destroying the rest of them and the camp."

"Well since we now know at least one more got into the city, I think he might have a point." Dr. K told them, pointing to Mariette's body. "We have to stop Venjix before it can do...that...to anyone else."

"Then we have to find the others." Scott concluded. "We have to deal with the camp before D46 does though."

"I guess that's true." Tenaya replied, flinching in pain as Dr. K continued to clean her cuts. "He isn't exactly known for being the most subtle or restrained when it comes to his fellow cyborgs."

Just then, the guards were performing a last minute sweep of the registry office ahead of the wedding rehearsal. Mr. De Winter strode into the hall, being greeted by one of the soldiers.

"Sorry sir, I'll need to see some ID." He told the stranger. Mr. De Winter tucked his cane under his arm and fished out some ID, showing the soldier.

"I'm here to help with the arrangements." He told him. "Sorry about the disturbance."

As the soldiers went back to their checks, Mr. De Winter found a woman arranging some flowers. He tapped her on the shoulder and pulled out a cigarillo case.

"You've been working for quite a while." He told her. "You look like you could use a break."

She smiled at him and accompanied him through a fire exit to the back alley. Mr. De Winter pulled out a book of matches, lighting one and handing it to her, before lighting one for himself.

"It looks like everything's taken care of." He complimented her. "It should be a great wedding."

"It should, were really trying to pull out all the stops." She told him. "All the papers are going to want to cover this. It's the wedding of the year."

"So you're pulling for Chas in the election?" He asked her.

"I guess I..."

She was cut off as a length of nylon wire was slipped over her head and pulled tightly around her neck. She only struggled for a second before suddenly going limp. The Wraith lowered her gently to the ground.

"Now I have an ID and a disguise for the occasion." The assassin stated, beginning to strip the corpse.

"Glad to be of service as always." Mr. De Winter commented. The Assassin dumped the corpse in a nearby dumpster and closed the lid, before gathering the clothing. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow."

"You will." The Wraith replied, turning to leave the street. "No need to make Brie a widow, just a sad fiancée."


	13. Preparing a Rehearsal

The Rangers were idly passing their time in the Garage before getting ready for the rehearsal. Summer was with Dr. K and Dillon in the lab, watching over him as she performed his weekly anti-viral upload.

She always hated watching him go through those. He always twitched and fidgeted uncontrollably, and constantly grunted like he was in pain. They both knew that these treatments were slowing the progress of the Venjix virus taking over his body, and so they were essential, and he always told her afterwards that he was fine and they didn't hurt, but she could tell that he was just trying to spare her feelings. That didn't matter though, as much as she hated watching him being hurt, she had to be there for him.

As the upload finished, Dillon sat up, beginning to pull off the sensors and looked over to Dr. K.

"How long have I got doc?" He asked her. This was the other part Summer hated about the process. He asked the same question every time he went through a treatment. It was a painful reminder that they still didn't have a permanent solution to his problem. It was even worse that he always got the same answer.

"The weekly anti-viral uploads are slowing the spread of the virus, but they don't reverse it." She began with the usual reminder. She didn't know herself how long it would take, she could only guess, and so far her calculations did not paint a very pleasant picture for his future. "They slow it down, they are working. As usual, I can only remind you to try and ensure you maintain these weekly treatments and avoid emotional stress."

Close study of the progress of the virus had revealed that emotional stress accelerated the process. His body's natural defences seemed to weaken during moments of strong emotion. He tried not to get stressed as much as possible, but it wasn't the easiest of things to do with Venjix still on the loose. Summer did all she could to help him. Dr. K left the room, leaving Summer and Dillon alone together.

"I guess that was the best we could hope for." He commented as he pulled his shirt back on. Summer helped him off the bench and put her arm around him gently.

"Dr. K will think of something, you know she will." Summer assured him. "When has she ever failed us?"

"I know she's trying." He grumbled. Summer moved around in front of him and gave him a small smile.

"You need to try and relax. Try to stay positive." She told him. "You know, this wedding might help you get your mind off things."

Dillon gave her a small grin as he heard this. While he and Chas weren't especially close, he was looking forward to it. He knew how important it was for Summer to see them happy. Despite the problems they'd had, they had since mended a lot of bridges, so much so that Brie had felt she couldn't ask anyone but Summer to act as her Maid of Honour.

"Are you sure you don't mind watching your ex get hitched?" He asked her mischievously, nudging her chin with his finger. Summer just shoved him playfully. "You do know that was the last wedding you attended right?"

"I guess that's true." She laughed as she recalled the hastily aborted wedding between herself and Chas. It had been an embarrassing and awkward topic for them at one time, but now the two of them had gotten to a place where they could joke about it. "I'm really glad they've found each other."

"I guess I'm looking forward to it too." Dillon replied. "I remember last time I didn't get the chance to enjoy it."

"Really?" She asked him, looking into his eyes. "I thought you liked the dress."

"I loved seeing you in the dress." He answered her honestly. "I was just too messed up about the thought of you getting married, because that would mean..."

"Very cute babies?" She suggested flippantly. Dillon just laughed.

"It would mean I would never have had a chance to be with you." He told her, pulling in closer. He pressed his lips to hers, reaching around behind her head. Summer smiled at him as they parted.

"Wow, maybe I should get married more often." She suggested. "If it gets that kind of reaction out of you, it might be a good thing."

"You're meant to be helping me avoid stress remember?" He asked her. She sighed and nodded in understanding.

"Listen, I just wanted to thank you. You know...for not pushing things." She responded quietly as she held him tightly. "I know it hasn't been easy since I came back. I needed us to take things slowly. I'm really glad you've been so patient. I know it can't have been easy."

"It's alright Summer, I wanted to take it slow too." He assured her. "I want to be with you, and I both of us to do it right."

"Thanks Dillon." She replied, hugging him and resting her head against his chest. "That really means a lot."

Out in the main room, Dr. K found Scott lazing on a couch, flicking through television channels for something to watch. Gem and Gemma were having some kind of discussion with Flynn, which appeared to be getting a little heated.

"I thought you'd be cleaning your car." She commented, knocking his feet off the couch so she could sit down with him. She pulled off her lab coat, hanging it up before joining him. "After going out in the wastes, your car..."

"It's already taken care of." Scott commented, pointing over to where it stood, gleaming. Completely washed and waxed, almost as good as new. "One of Flynn's devices did that. He read something in her diary that he didn't like, and now he's showing off his devices."

"Why?" She asked him. Scott just shrugged.

"He's a mechanic, machines are his thing." Scott told her. "You know how he gets. He keeps trying to convince me to let him fit some convertor to my car that he says will give me an extra 100 horse power and save fuel."

"That sounds impressive." Dr. K replied, making herself comfortable on the couch. Scott watched as she curled up in the corner of the couch, settling into the cushions. "Presuming he can make it work."

"Why do you think I've not let him fit it yet?" Scott asked her. "A robot that cleans my car in three seconds is one thing, but if he's putting anything into my engine, I want to be certain it works."

Just then, an alarm sounded, alerting the Rangers to an attack on the city. Scott looked to the doctor and shrugged, flashing her the cocky little smile that affected her so deeply.

"Duty calls." He told her, rushing over to his car, joining the others as they raced out of the Garage. Dr. K just put her lab coat back on and made her way to the lab to monitor the battle.

Tenaya was lying on a bench in the lab, having her injuries assessed while she looked at pictures of the hall they were holding the ceremony in. It disappointed her to think that she'd miss the actual ceremony, but Dr. K had reminded her that aside from herself, the Rangers and Colonel Truman and his most trusted confidantes, most of the citizens of Corinth, and the military didn't actually know about her true nature. Security at the hall was going to be tight, and everyone would have to pass through metal detectors and be scanned for Venjix hardware, both of which provided problems for her. She had to make do with the fact they were holding the reception at the Garage, and so she would be able to see them then.

She hopped off the bed and made her way to the monitors with Dr. K, preparing to observe the battle.

"Tenaya what are you doing?" Dr. K asked her. "You're meant to be resting."

"I just want to see how the Rangers are doing." She protested with a shrug. Dr. K just shrugged and turned back to the monitors. She knew it was pointless to argue with her or try to remind her that she needed time to recover from her wounds. It seemed that stubbornness ran in her family.

Over at the meeting hall, Chas and Brie arrived with Hicks to inspect the preparations for the rehearsal. Because of the need for security, the military was checking the identification and scanning everyone that entered the building.

As they arrived, the wedding planner got up from where she was arranging some flowers and came over to them smiling.

She was a little under 5' 6" with tanned skin and long brunette hair. She was wearing a pale blue business suit, and had a bright smile.

"The guests of honour are here at last." The wedding planner commented. "My name's Jasmine. Now are the flowers alright?"

"It wasn't what we were expecting, but they're really lovely." Brie remarked. "They're better than what I asked for now that I see them."

"They are." Chas added, inspecting them curiously. "Are they extra?"

"You don't need to worry, I never raise a price once an agreement's reached." She assured them, waving them off dismissively. "The bride's mother told me a little about the dress and I thought the roses would suit the occasion better than the carnations. I don't mind cutting into my profit margin a little to create something wonderful."

She pulled a little closer and whispered to them.

"Besides, the press are coming in to photograph the hall after the ceremony once the security detail allows them inside." She told him, winking. "I couldn't buy publicity like that."

"Well this place looks amazing." Chas replied. "I've been here a few times, I can never remember it looking so good."

"I had some antique mahogany pews brought in to replace the characterless folding chairs they normally use." Jasmine told them, running a hand across the carved wood of one of the pews. "The ribbons are being strung up as you can see, and with my photographer, you'll have a wonderful album to remember the wedding by."

"I doubt I'll ever forget this anyway." Brie said with a huge grin, looking up into Chas' face.

"So where's the photographer?" Chas asked her.

"She's in the hall next door, covering another wedding." A male voice told them. Chas smiled and turned around, finding a distinguished looking gentleman in a white suit, with silver hair and moustache standing before him. He smiled back, tucking his cane under his arm.

"Mr. De Winter!" Chas called out excitedly, shaking his hand.

"Come now Chas, you're hardly the little boy who used to steal apples from my orchard anymore." Mr. De Winter replied in a laugh. "I take it this is the lucky girl."

"Of course, Brie, this is Alexander De Winter." Chas introduced him, gesturing her forward. "He's my Godfather, he's been a friend of the family for years."

"The pleasure is all mine I assure you." Alex responded, taking Brie's hand and kissing it gently. She looked to Chas, uncertain what to make of this stranger, but satisfied herself that he seemed to trust him.

"Thanks, we're really looking forward to it." She told him. "That's a very interesting cane. The handle it's slightly...morbid."

"I suppose it might be seen that way." Alex replied, holding it up to allow her to see it. It was made of polished silver, and depicted a cloaked, skeletal figure. The hood held a skull that seemed to leer out with a slightly frightening gaze. "I carry it because my life has been so blessed and full of fortune. I have had much success and possess wealth that many would consider all anyone could want. In my time I've even had a wife and family that I love dearly."

"So why carry an image of the Grim Reaper?" Brie asked him. He just laughed.

"I'm sure you know that many from our level of society become arrogant and disdainful of others." He told her. "I carry this to remind me that as fortunate as one's life is, as much as one may acquire, we are all human. There are challenges and opponents no one will ever conquer, regardless of where they're born or to whom."

"So you said the photographer's next door?" Chas asked him. Alex nodded.

"I did indeed my boy." He replied.

"I guess we should meet him..."

"Her." Jasmine corrected him. "Victoria's a little strange, but she's easily the best photographer I've ever seen."

"Well I guess she's the next one to talk to." Chas replied with a shrug. "Come on Brie, let's see what she has planned."

As they left, Hicks was busy checking that the guards knew what they were doing, when Dr. K and the Rangers, all except for Flynn and Gemma arrived. He came over to them as the guards finished running their security scans of them. Only Dillon registered anything from the scans, but since everyone knew about his implants anyway, a simple search satisfied them he wasn't carrying any weapons. Of course, he didn't look happy as they searched him, considering he was one of the ones guarding Chas in the first place. It wasn't likely he was the assassin.

"Don't worry about it Dillon, they're just doing their job." Chas assured him. "Where are the others?"

"Ranger Blue is sulking because I reprimanded him for his careless actions today." Dr. K told him a little sharply. "He's clearing his desk. Gemma said she wanted to work on something, I presume she's just trying to make him feel better."

"Well I guess it's only the Best Man and the Maid of Honour that need to be here for the ceremony." He replied with a shrug. Summer looked around.

"Where are Chas and Brie?" She asked him.

"They're just checking out the photographer." He told them. "They should be back any minute."

"You let them out of your sight?" Summer asked him.

"The place is crawling with military. Even if one of them is the assassin, they'd never make a move now, they'd be seen. With this many soldiers, there's no way he'd make it out of the building, it would be suicide."

"He's right Summer, the assassin would need to get him alone." Dillon reminded her. "Just relax and enjoy the rest of the night."

"I guess I could try." She said with a shrug. "I guess I'm a little jumpy. I mean, the megazords are off-line until Dr. K's programme finishes the upload, and this thing with Chas is creepy too. I mean, this guy could be anybody!"

"Try not to worry about it. If he makes a move, we'll be here." Dillon assured her. "If it makes you feel better, we can have a look around."

"I think that would help." Summer told him. "It looks like it'll be a while before the minister calls us for the rehearsal anyway."

As they left, Gem trotted off to look around, more interested in the decorations than anything else that was going on. Ziggy went with him to make sure he didn't get himself into any trouble with the security staff. Scott put a hand on Dr. K's shoulder, attracting her attention.

"Would you like to take a seat while we wait?" He asked her. Dr. K nodded and sat down with him on a nearby pew. She could tell by his tone that he wanted to talk about something, and given what had happened earlier, she could probably tell what it was.

"Dr. K, I trust you, we entrust our lives to your technology on a daily basis..."

"Flynn's actions were reckless and put the entire team in jeopardy." She interrupted him. "His unsanctioned and untested device completely obliterated the power cells..."

"He messed up, he knows that better than anyone." Scott told her. "He was trying to help. When he used that modified engine cell..."

"I was already working on re-energising the zords!" She protested. Scott just looked at her, shaking his head.

"He always tries to make things to help us, you know that." Scott told her. "He's always trying to make new devices that'll help us. He even took those Venjix transports we stole into the basement to work on some secret project or other. Even I don't know what he's doing with them."

"The technology wasn't tested. He had no idea if it would work." Dr. K reminded him. Scott just raised his eyebrows.

"I suppose you knew exactly how your reprogramming of Venjix's dome buster weapon was going to go." He asked her. Dr. K just looked to the floor and shook her head. She really didn't, she had made that one up as she went. "If it didn't work, we wouldn't just have lost the zords temporarily. We'd have lost everything!"

"I know, it's just that..."

"Dr. K, think about what's happening with Flynn right now." Scott told her. "You used to get him into the lab to help you with your projects all the time. When was the last time you asked him for help on a project?"

"I...don't remember." She stammered, trying to think about it. It had been a while. Scott put his arm around her, holding her tightly.

"It was before Gem and Gemma came." He reminded her. "I know they're your friends, and they understand a lot more of the stuff you do in the lab, but since they've come, Flynn's basically been relegated to changing oil and checking tyre pressures."

"He feels left out." Dr. K sighed, thinking about it. Scott smiled, realising that despite her problems with other people's feelings, she had figured it out, even if she did need a little nudge in the right direction.

"He messed up, and he did need to be told." Scott told her, giving her a gentle squeeze. "In future, maybe you could just...you know...think about it for a second and try to be a little more diplomatic."

"I guess I could try." She said, flashing a little smile at him and wrapping her arms around him, pulling into him tightly. "I'm sorry Scott."

"I appreciate it, but it isn't me you should apologise to." Scott reminded her. "You did hurt his feelings."

"I'll talk to him later." She responded. "I promise."

Chas and Brie were in the hall next door to the wedding rehearsal, and they found a woman taking pictures. Chas coughed to attract her attention.

She stood up to her full height. She was a tall woman, almost as tall as Chas, and wore a leather jacket and jeans, with knee high motor cycle boots. Her hair was blonde, and styled into a short bob. Looking at them, she smiled.

"I guess you wanted to meet the person who'd be shooting you at the wedding." She greeted them. Brie wished she hadn't said the word 'shooting' considering the fact it had only been a couple of days since someone had tried to kill him. She extended a hand for a handshake. "I'm Victoria."

"Chas." He replied, shaking her hand. She had a strong, firm grip, one that rivalled some of the men he had met. Her jacket fell open a little, revealing one of Chas' campaign t-shirts. "This is Brie."

"It's a pleasure." Brie chipped in, also shaking her hand. Victoria noticed that Chas had seen the t-shirt and smiled at him.

"I'm a huge supporter." She told him. "I'll try to make sure I get some good shots."

"What are you doing taking pictures of an empty hall?" Brie asked. She was understandably nervous about anything, even the slightest of things made her jumpy. Looking around, she noticed a few guards, making her feel a little better.

"I always like to get an idea of the lighting before I begin." She told her. "This hall's identical to the one next door. Trust me, I'll probably go through about four rolls of film before I take the real shots."

"Well it's good to see that you're taking it so seriously." Chas replied. "Anyway, we should probably be getting back. We just wanted to meet you."

"Well I'm glad you did." She replied. "I'll see you at the ceremony."

As they arrived back in the main hall, the few guests assembled. Chas looked to the altar where the minister was waiting.

She was only around 5' 3", and had flowing blonde hair that spilled down over her robes. She gestured him to the front of the hall.

"Now the bride and groom are here, we can begin the rehearsals." The minister began, taking her place. "The groom will stand right here, with his Best Man..."

"Oh, Hicks isn't here right now." Chas commented, looking around. "He must be checking on something."

"Well would someone like to step in for the time being?" She asked. Chas looked to the Rangers, who all in turn looked at Ziggy. He just shrugged and went to Chas' side.

"The bride's father will then lead Brie to the altar." She told them. Brie's father did as he was told, bringing her to Summer's side. "I'll do the reading, and then I'll get onto the important part. I'll ask you both to look at each other and hold hands."

Chas turned to look at Brie, and then held her hands, looking deeply into her eyes. She smiled back at him.

"Chas, do you..."

"Everybody, the building's in full lockdown!" Hicks roared as he arrived back in the hall with half a dozen guards. "The Wraith's here!"

Chas ran over to Hicks, who guided him to a side room. The Rangers followed on, and they all stood in the room, gazing at the wall in horror. A message had been left for him.

"Tonight you live.

See you at the wedding.

The Wraith."

"Chas, you and Brie are leaving with the Rangers. Don't speak to anyone but myself or Colonel Truman!" He instructed him. He turned to the guards. "No one else leaves until this place is taken apart!"

Brie just held Chas as the Rangers led him away. He kept whispering assurances in her ear, but in his heart he was now truly afraid. The Wraith had managed to get into the building unseen and left him that message. What could anyone do to stop him?"

Mr De Winter was sitting in the main hall, awaiting his turn to be searched and questioned. He smirked as he heard the hubbub surrounding the guards. Everyone was now under no false impressions how much danger Chas was in. Once The Wraith accepted a job, it was only a matter of time.

"She always did have a flair for the dramatic." He whispered to himself. "This will be one interesting wedding."


	14. The Wedding Approaches

The Rangers, Dr. K, Chas and Brie came back into the Garage, finding Gemma and Flynn fast asleep in the workshop area of the Garage. Gemma had crashed out on the computer, apparently quite a while ago as it had now gone onto the screensaver mode, while Flynn was crashed out; snoring loudly as he held what looked like a tiny wheel in his hand.

"I do not envy Sam if they ever get married." Tenaya commented as she took a seat on the couch. "Can you imagine trying to sleep next to that?"

"What were they working on?" Dillon asked as he pulled the small wheel gently from Flynn's hand. "It took them all this time to make this?"

"I'm sure we'll find out what it is in due course." Summer told him, gently shaking Flynn awake. As he got up, a printout of his latest project was stuck to his face. Summer just laughed a little, peeling it off as he came to. "We thought you'd like to be awake for the joint bachelor/bachelorette party."

"I guess so." He replied, stretching himself awake. Gemma yawned loudly as Gem woke her up. "Wait, joint party?"

"You slept right through the rehearsal." Scott informed him. "The Wraith was there and left a message. He's going to try and kill Chas at the wedding."

"We figured it would be safest if they stay here tonight." Dillon continued. "Sorry we had to abort the plans for your bachelor party."

"It's alright, I'd much rather have him alive for the ceremony anyway." Brie replied, putting her arms around him. Just then, the alarms sounded. Scott groaned as he heard this.

"Sorry Chas, we're going to have to delay things a little." Scott commented as they rushed into the lab. Dr. K looked at the screen in horror.

"It looks like Shifter's pulled out all the stops with this one." She commented. Summer furrowed her brows as she looked at the screen.

"Is that a giant walking hammer?" She asked them. The Hammer Bot bent down, smashing its head into the ground, causing a shockwave that shook the entire dome. All the Rangers looked around as furniture fell over. Chas held Brie closely as the shockwave subsided.

"Well that's using your head." Ziggy commented. All the Rangers and Dr. K just turned and glared at him in disbelief. "Oh come on, someone had to say it!"

"How are the Zords?" Scott asked, shaking his head in an attempt to forget the lame joke. Dr. K pulled up the schematics.

"I'm afraid the Megazord configurations are still off-line." Dr. K told him. "I have no alternative but to send you out there with nothing but the standard equipment."

"So if that thing goes supersize..."

"We all get squashed." Dillon interrupted him. "You know what I say? That just means we have to take it apart faster."

"I think I might have a solution to that problem." Flynn told them, presenting the wheel with pride. The others just stared at him blankly. "Gemma and I have been working on this all night, we uploaded it to the downmorphing system..."

"You accessed my system without my permission?" Dr. K screeched, looking for the new files. "This is reckless and dangerous Flynn, I told you before that all technology..."

"It's compatible with our systems, I programmed it myself." Gemma assured her friend. "Dr. K, give it a chance!"

"It would be good to have a little artillery." Ziggy stated with a shrug. Dr. K looked unconvinced.

"Setting loose this powerful and untested weapon has the potential to backfire horribly." Dr. K told them. "It could destroy you and the city!"

"Then we'll only use it as a last resort." Scott told her, raising his eyebrows a little, reminding her of their talk earlier. "Come on, let's get out there before it starts shaking things up again."

With that, they all ran out to tackle the Hammer Bot. Tenaya made her way over to the happy couple and took a seat as she turned on the large monitor, preparing to watch the battle. She looked over to the happy couple and smiled.

"I guess this isn't the way you wanted to spend the night before your wedding." She commented.

"Well things could be worse." Chas commented.

"How?" Brie asked him. Chas shrugged and answered a little too honestly.

"He could have succeeded."

Back at the meeting hall, the investigation continued, after being slightly delayed by the shockwave. Hicks had interviewed everyone at the meeting hall several times, but he was still no closer to figuring out who was there to kill Chas. Everyone's ID and story seemed to check out.

He watched Victoria, the photographer, about to light up a cigarette and came over, taking it off her.

"Oh come on, I've been here all day!" She snapped as he did this.

"No smoking in a public building." He told her. "You know that."

"Well can we at least hurry this along?" She grumbled. "I need to develop my photographs and figure out which configuration to use tomorrow."

"You'll be released when I'm satisfied the assassin is gone." He told her.

"Well, can you accompany me into the alley?" She asked him. "Please, we've been here for hours. I really need a cigarette. He relented a little and gestured to another guard to come over. They both accompanied her out into the back alley, where he handed her back the cigarette. He gestured for one himself.

"I thought you military men were all health nuts." She commented as she lit the two cigarettes, handing him one.

"I quit ages ago, I only have one now and again when things are stressful." He told her, taking a long drag. "This thing's really getting to me."

"I thought all those rumours about The Wraith were all hokum." She responded, letting out a little puff herself. "I know someone took a shot at him before, but I thought that was just some yahoo until I saw the security on duty."

"How did you hear the name The Wraith?" He asked her, shifting a little closer. Victoria reached into her back pocket and pulled out a couple of photographs, handing them to him.

"I occasionally do freelance work as a crime scene photographer." She told him as he inspected the grisly photos curiously. "Everyone in that line of work's heard the legends of the invisible assassin."

"You know some people might not think it's that smart and idea to talk about stuff like that in front of the guy that's looking for this guy." Hicks commented. "What do you know about it?"

"Only the rumours everyone hears." She replied. "So are you confirming that it is The Wraith?"

"I'm confirming nothing." Hicks told her. "All I'm saying is that I'm taking no chances with Chas' safety."

"I guess as Best Man that is kind of your job right?" She asked him. "We wouldn't want anything to happen at the wedding of the year."

"Not to mention I want to see Chas get into office." Hicks replied as he took another draw. "I think he'd do a great job."

"I think he will too." She told him, throwing her cigarette down and crushing it under her boot. "How much longer is this likely to take?"

"Sergeant, have Ms. Wood's possessions signed off and returned to her, we shouldn't need her any further tonight." He told the other guard. "I'll see you at the ceremony tomorrow."

"You can count on that." She said with a little smirk as she came over, slipping a card into his pocket and turning to walk away. As she did this, Hicks bent down to pick up her cigarette butt.

He paused as he noticed a cigarillo on the ground, just under the nearby dumpster. Picking it up, he noticed that it had a little lipstick on it, and also that it had barely been lit when it was dropped. It hadn't been crushed out, but was cold, meaning that it had been there for a while.

He put both butts into plastic evidence bags, before heading back inside.

The Rangers came back from the battle, a little tired and sore, but nonetheless, victorious and happy about the result of the battle. They gathered around Flynn and Gemma, slapping their backs, congratulating them.

"That Road Attack Zord of yours is amazing!" Ziggy yelled as they came into the room, preparing to take some time to celebrate with Chas and Brie ahead of the ceremony. "I can't believe you created that!"

"Well it was mostly Flynn's work." Gemma assured him. "I helped programme it; I'm just sorry my upgrades gave it too much power."

"Hey, if it wasn't for that, we'd never have been able to use that to repower the Megazord configurations." Flynn reminded her. "We make an amazing team."

"You are both impressive." Dr. K told them. "Flynn, I really wanted to apologise for the way I spoke to you earlier."

"Really?" He asked her, a little unsure about this. Dr. K looked to Scott, who nodded in support.

"I realise I've been a little...dismissive about your talents." Dr. K continued. "You are an impressive mechanic, and have shown expertise in a number of fields. I guess since Gem and Gemma came back into my life, I've..."

"It's alright, I understand." Flynn told her. "I know they..."

"No, it isn't Flynn. I've been forgetting the most important factor in development. Having as many fresh perspectives as possible is necessary to facilitate positive results. This Road Attack Zord is a perfect example."

She came over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and smiling at him.

"Excellent work Flynn." She told him.

"Thanks Dr. K, that really means a lot." He told her. "Thanks Dr. K."

"You know since we want to have multiple perspectives on things, maybe you'll let us in on this secret project of yours in the basement." Gemma suggested. "We'd love to know what you've been working on down there with those Venjix transports."

"After the wedding, I promise." He assured them, fetching some refreshments. "Until then, let's celebrate."

Back at the hall, Kicks knocked on the door to the Minister's office, before letting himself in, finding her hanging up her robes carefully.

"Hello Corporal Hicks, is there something else I can help you with?" She asked him. He closed the door behind him.

"Did the soldiers clean up that graffiti like I asked?" He asked her. She smiled at him.

"They did a great job." She told him, fixing the collar on her shirt.

"The men have done a full sweep; it should be alright to start locking up." He informed her.

"Thank you, I just feel awful that someone could be at threat in here." She replied, pulling a bottle of whisky out of her drawer. "Would you like one? I can't imagine it's been fun missing the bachelor party."

"I suppose everyone's allowed a little vice." He answered her, accepting a glass. "I bet this has to be the best part of the job."

"Weddings are fun." She commented, swirling the glass. "I kind of like the idea I'm sending people on their journey in life you know?"

"I can believe that." He replied with a smile.

"Chas is a lucky man." The Minister told him. "To have someone so devoted guarding him I mean."

"He's a good man." Hicks commented. "If you forgive me, you seem a little young to be a minister." He commented. She just laughed.

"Thank you; please feel free to call me Rhonda." She told him. "I went into the church young. I had no family, and so I was raised in a church orphanage. It just felt right."

"I'm sorry to hear that Rhonda." He said sympathetically. She shook her head.

"I'm not; they took care of me there." She told him. "I really love my work at the church. It's been my calling for longer than I can remember."

"Well I'm sorry for the inconvenience." He told her. "I know it can't be fun having all these guards under your feet."

"Better that than trading a wedding for a funeral right?" She asked him, finishing her glass. He did the same and turned to leave.

"I hope you catch the assassin." She told him. Chas just smiled.

"So do I." He replied, leaving the room.

As he got outside, he bumped into Jasmine, the wedding planner as she wandered the halls. She looked up at him, straightening herself out.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." He told her.

"Sorry, I was just looking for the Minister." She told him. "I wanted to go over the final arrangements for the ceremony."

"She's just in her office." He told her. "Make sure you see the guards and sign out before you leave."

"Believe me; I'm really looking forward to getting out of here." She commented. "I have a huge day tomorrow."

He watched as she went into the Minister's office, before turning and leaving. He hated to think that The Wraith was still a few steps ahead of him, but he was determined to ensure that Chas would be safe.

Late at night, after everyone had gone home, Mr. De Winter called The Wraith, ensuring she was ready for her assignment.

"What took you so long?" He asked her as she finally answered the phone.

"I was just preparing myself for tomorrow." She told him. "The security is really a challenge."

"It's nothing you shouldn't be able to handle." He told her with a small chuckle. "I'll be there in case you need backup."

"I'll get him alone before he leaves the hall." She told him. "I have the perfect ruse."

"It's a shame that my Godson has to die on his wedding night." He sighed, thinking about the day ahead. "Still, our family's fortune is based on death, and we have already accepted the payment. Professional courtesy dictates that we have to go through with it. Pity really, he was a cute child."

"Everything's in place then." He told her. "You know I'll be there in case anything goes wrong."

"It won't dad." She replied. "He's already dead; he just doesn't know it yet."


	15. Wedding of the Year

The following morning, everyone was busy getting ready for the ceremony. Hicks had arrived, wearing his dress fatigues, though he was very much on duty. He had been offered a guard detail, but since they knew that The Wraith used infiltration and disguise to get close to him before, he refused, only wanting Chas to be surrounded by people he knew they could trust.

Summer was in the girl's room with Brie, helping her get ready. She sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"You look beautiful Brie." Summer told her reassuringly. She had chosen to have the wedding a lot earlier than they had originally intended because she wanted to get the ceremony out the way before her pregnancy advanced too far and she had more to worry about. Now, of course, she was having second thoughts about going through with the ceremony at all, since Chas was turning himself into a target to draw the assassin into the open. "Hey, don't worry, Hicks and the Colonel have everything under control."

"Just like they did at the rehearsal?" Brie asked her sarcastically. She was understandably upset. They knew that The Wraith had infiltrated the rehearsal and left that message for them to find.

"Come on Brie, he's in good hands." Summer assured her. "Come on, try to cheer up. You've been looking forward to this for ages."

"I guess I have." She replied quietly. "I guess I'm just scared. I know he's been in danger before, but this guy has me really freaked out."

"Brie, there'll be guard at every entrance. Every person in there will be searched." She reminded her. "Half the military's going to be there. Nothing's going to happen. You just worry about looking beautiful and enjoy the day."

"She's right honey." Her father announced from the corner of the room. "Besides, after the ceremony, you'll both be coming back here. There isn't a more secure location."

"Well I'll feel a lot more comfortable once we're back here." Brie told them. "I really wish there was a better way."

"The guys and I are making our way out to the city hall." Dillon told them from the door. Unlike Summer's aborted wedding to Chas, he was actually dressed for the occasion, having rented a tuxedo. He had gotten a little help from the others to get ready. He kept fidgeting with his bow tie, and didn't look comfortable, but he did look very different. Summer just stared at him, he mouth hanging open a little. Dillon smiled as he saw her. "We'll be waiting for you there." He finally managed to tell them, unable to get the words out.

"We'll see you there." Brie replied, taking a little amusement in Summer's reaction to Dillon's appearance. "Just take care."

As he left, she put her hand under Summer's chin, closing her mouth. Summer looked back to her, realising she had zoned out.

"Sorry Brie, I'm paying attention, honestly." She assured her.

"I should hope so." Brie giggled gently. "For what it's worth, he did look pretty cute."

"I've just never seen him like that before." She replied.

"Well last time he wasn't really into the occasion." Brie reminded her. "He thought he was going to have to watch you marry another man."

"Well everything worked out for the best." Summer assured her. "Anyway, it's probably about time we were joining the others downstairs."

Over at City Hall, the transports arrived, and Chas and the Rangers got out. Press were not allowed in the building for security reasons, and so they had congregated outside in the hopes of catching a quick picture as he arrived.

Chas was wearing his dress fatigues, just like he had for his previous ceremony. The only thing missing was his sword, which he had left behind, not wanting to take the risk that someone would attempt to use it against him. Hicks and Scott were either side of him, checking the crowd for any signs of an attack, though finding none. The soldiers had already searched most of them, but since the last attack had been a sniper attack, they still couldn't rule out a long range shot, and so guided him inside quickly.

Ziggy and Dillon followed, Dillon dragging him in. Ziggy was still sulking slightly about the fact that Tenaya couldn't attend the ceremony with them, and had wanted t give it a miss, but he was needed to help in case anything happened. He did have, after all, the ability to teleport himself and Chas out of the building if anything did happen.

Flynn was next, walking arm-in-arm with Sam. She had opted for a classic white evening dress, while he had once again gotten his kilt out of moth balls for the occasion. He tried to keep a straight face as Sam leaned in, asking him cheekily if he was going true Scotsman. He just promised that he would tell her later. She had been working at the lab that morning, and so she had been picked up on the way instead of leaving with the bridal party.

Finally, the twins came in, virtually dragged Dr. K into the building. She really wasn't comfortable in this situation at all. While she had gotten to know Brie and Chas a little more, she was still not entirely comfortable in large crowds. The twins loved the attention though. With all the cameras and people outside, the event took on something of a feeling of a gala event. Those that got inside were easily some of the most fortunate people in Corinth, given the high security at the event.

Scott just finished being searched by one of the guards when he caught sight of Dr. K, looking more than a little grumpy, and protesting loudly.

"Not only am I one of the people that have been keeping Chas safe, I am hardly likely to have somewhere to conceal a weapon am I?"

Scott couldn't believe what she was wearing, and had to admit that she had a point. She was wearing a red silk dress, something she had borrowed from a local costume hire shop since she didn't really own anything more appropriate. It had no sleeves, and no back, the straps fastening around the back of her neck, exposing far more of her pale flesh than he was used to seeing. The skirt continued down to her ankles. As the guard finally satisfied himself that she was no threat to the guests of honour, she rolled her eyes and started to make her way over. Scott noticed that she seemed to be concentrating very hard on walking, not being used to long skirts and high heel shoes. Gemma also seemed to be having a little trouble, which was probably the reason they came with Gem instead of waiting for the other girls, acclimatising themselves to the shoes.

Chas noticed Scott staring at her and got a little smirk on his face. He waved a hand in front of his face, which Scott just slapped away as he became irritated by the teasing.

"I know security is tight, but can the guards not exercise any judgement in whether or not it is necessary?" Dr. K asked them as she arrived. "I mean, you have been living with us the past couple of days. Were we to wish you harmed, it would have been far more efficient to do so there."

"It's alright; you're in the building now." Scott told her, smiling a little as he continued to take in her appearance. "Just try to enjoy the occasion."

"I suppose there is something romantic about expressing the desire to spend the remainder of one's life to a single partner." Dr. K said with a shrug, before looking to Scott, considering how different he looked in his military dress uniform.

"Hey, hold that pose everyone!" Victoria called out, drawing their attention. Dr. K shifted a little closer to Scott, and he put his arm around her. Chas, Gem and Gemma pulled in a little closer and they all smiled. Victoria fired off a few pictures from different angles, before moving on to photograph more guests.

"The photographer seems enthusiastic." Chas commented. "I'm really looking forward to the album she puts together for us."

"Hey, where's Hicks?" Chas asked, looking around for his Best Man. He saw him with a couple of guards searching another couple of guests. The guards were currently searching his mother, who had called to tell Chas she would come, despite his father's wishes, Fresno Bob and Mr. De Winter. De Winter handed over his cane as the scanner registered metal, before allowing them to scan him again.

"Chas, you look wonderful honey!" Mrs. Winchester gushed as she came over, hugging him tightly.

"I'm really glad you could come." Chas told her. "How's dad."

"He's just being his usual, stubborn self." She grumbled. Fresno Bob came over, making all the Rangers a little uncomfortable. Despite everyone knowing that he was Corinth's most powerful crime boss, he was still a friend of Chas' family, and so had been invited.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much." Bob commented. "I can't imagine how much it hurts not having him here on your big day, but he's the one missing out."

He put an arm around Chas, squeezing him with a surprisingly powerful grip for someone his age. He turned him to show him the guests filing in.

"You've got all these people here for you." He reminded him, smiling. "Half of Corinth is outside, and the other half is eagerly awaiting the evening newspaper. Besides, you have a beautiful wife and what I'm sure will be an even more beautiful baby to look forward to."

"Thanks Uncle Bob." Chas replied. "That really means a lot."

Mr. De Winter came over, shaking Chas' hand.

"This place looks wonderful Chas; Jasmine's done a terrific job." He stated. Hicks arrived at that point, while the others moved off to mingle. Dr. K stuck close to Scott, being a little uncomfortable in crowds, though also as a way to stay close. Hicks came over.

"I didn't know you knew the wedding planner." Hicks commented. Mr. De Winter smiled.

"Who do you think recommended her?" He asked. "She did a marvellous job of my own wedding."

"You're married?" Hicks asked him. He shook his head a little sadly.

"I was, she died many years ago." He replied. "Still, today isn't a day for such talk. Today is a day to celebrate. You have a good time Chas."

"Well this looks like an interesting group." Victoria commented, coming over. "Would you all mind huddling for a picture?"

Mr. De Winter put his arm around Chas, while Hicks turned to face the photographer, standing on his other side. Fresno Bob stood on the far right. Hicks gave a small smile as she winked at him before firing off a few pictures.

"Well I have a few more people to see before the bride arrives." She told them. "I'll see you for the ceremony."

As she left, Hicks started looking around curiously. Chas just hit him lightly in the chest.

"Hey, it's meant to be the groom that's nervous." He reprimanded him. "Try to settle down a little. The others have it covered."

"I just noticed something." He commented. "Don't you find it odd that the guests are arriving and the wedding planner's nowhere in sight?"

"I just received a call that the bride has arrived." Rhonda, the Minister told them. "Would you all like to move inside please?"

Chas and the others started to make their way inside, leaving Hicks pondering the whereabouts of Jasmine. Where was she? Shouldn't she be here to oversee the event?"

Meanwhile, outside the car carrying the bridal party was just arriving. Brie was helped out of the car and onto the steps outside. Her father smiled at her as he pulled the veil over her face, and took her arm, leading her past the photographers outside. Summer just ignored the reporters all trying to force themselves through to ask the inevitable questions about her attending her ex fiancé's wedding, while Brie's mother took up the rear, hurrying them through into the reception hall. They found the doors to the hall closed. Hicks was standing outside.

"Isn't it traditional for the Best Man to be in the hall?" Brie asked him. He just gestured a few guards in a quick search.

"Sorry, I'm probably just being overcautious, but I think we may have a problem." He told her. "Just wait here for a little while."

He started a quick search of the building, while she waited. Summer hugged Brie as she saw the look on her face.

"Brie, you heard what he said, he's just being cautious." Summer assured her. "I'll bet you anything you like; you'll be in there before you know it."

"I just wish he'd hurry up." She grumbled. "The longer we're in the open, the more terrified I get."

Hicks was just patrolling the west corridor, when a couple of guards came down the stairs, dragging Jasmine in handcuffs.

"We found her up in the balcony." He told Hicks. "She was carrying this."

He handed Hicks a video camera, which he inspected for a second.

"You were told no recording equipment was allowed on the premises without being inspected." He told her. Jasmine continued to struggle against her captors as the cuffs bit into her wrists painfully.

"Alright, I admit that I hid the camera here." She admitted. "I like to take some footage of all the weddings I organise. It helps me demonstrate the packages I can put together for clients."

Hicks threw the camera onto the floor and stomped on it, smashing it open. He inspected the parts, finding nothing amiss.

"There's no weapon in here." He commented. "You were really just filming up there?"

"I told you, I like..."

"You never did that for Chas and Brie." He remarked. "What's the story?"

She rolled her eyes, only for one of the guards to grip her tighter. She eventually relented.

"Alright, I was filming it so I could sell the footage to the press." She admitted. "Because of the press ban and the security, footage of this wedding is like unedited footage of the moon landing hoax. That video would have been worth a damn fortune!"

"You know I could throw you in prison for this." He commented, before pointing to what was left of the camera and the video. "I guess that will suffice for now. Cut her loose, she isn't an assassin, she's just a profiteer."

The guards uncuffed her, turning her loose. It was then that Hicks stopped them as he saw Victoria hanging around the fire-exit to the alley. He remembered finding the cigarillo with the lip stick on it. She unclipped the alarm, before slipping outside.

"You said you know Victoria right?" He asked Jasmine. She nodded.

"Yeah, she does photography work for me all the time." She replied.

"Have you seen her at all across the last couple of days?" He asked her. Jasmine furrowed her brows as she thought about it.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't." She replied. "We just seem to keep missing each other. If I was paranoid, I'd almost think she was avoiding me."

Hicks rushed out into the alley, drawing his hand blaster. As he got outside, he saw her talking to a man. It looked like she was being handed something, perhaps a weapon. He levelled the blaster at her.

"Freeze! Get your hands where I can see them!" He screamed. She threw her hands up in the air, holding something in her right hand. Hicks was quickly joined by other guards as the man tried to run away, though he thought better of it as a warning shot was fired.

"Drop it lady!" Hicks warned her. She opened her hand, dropping something on the ground. "On your knees!"

She did as she was told. The other guards covered the man, quickly restraining him, as Hicks put her in handcuffs, before forcing her against a wall.

"You made a big mistake!" He told her. "You came back out here. I know you were here before."

"What are you talking about?" She asked him. "The last time I was out here was when I had that cigarette yesterday. You were with me!"

"What about this?" He asked her, showing her the cigarillo. "The lipstick is the same colour you wear."

"I don't smoke those things." She said, curling her lip in disgust. "They're too strong, they make me sick."

"Then why are you out here picking up a weapon?" He asked her.

"It isn't a weapon." She told him. "I wasn't picking anything up, I was passing it off. That guy's a reporter. I was giving him my film to sell photos to 'Dome Secrets' magazine."

"This guy's ID says he's a reporter." One of the guards told him. Hicks looked to the ground, and picked up what she had dropped. It was indeed a camera film. Hicks grabbed Victoria and dragged her inside where Jasmine was waiting.

"Is this Victoria?" He asked her. Jasmine nodded.

"This is her. What are you doing?" She asked him. He just groaned and unlocked her cuffs.

"You two are a real piece of work." He complained. "There's a security lockdown for a reason. I should arrest both of you!"

"We're sorry; we tried to make a bit of money on the side." Victoria pleaded with him. "Come on, this is the wedding of the year. We knew that pictures and footage of that would sell for a fortune."

Hicks just gestured to the guards to take them back to the hall where they could keep an eye on them. He pondered the lipstick, and thought for a while about his assumption. In truth, it was possible thousands of lip sticks that shade could have been sold. It was possible anyone could have been wearing it.

Meanwhile, Chas was led into the Minister's office to wait. The guests were beginning to get a little restless, and she had offered to let him have a seat in her office until they got the all-clear to proceed.

"Thanks for this." Chas told her. "I know this has to be a pain. Hicks is being cautious, but he's just making sure everything runs smoothly."

"It's alright." Rhonda told him, quietly locking the door behind her. "He's just making sure you're safe."

She slipped her thumb into a small hole in the hem of her robes and pulled the stitching open. She grabbed the nylon wire she had concealed there, and pulled it out, wrapping it around her hands for grip as she approached him slowly.

She slipped the wire over his head, but Chas was too quick, grabbing her wrists and preventing her from pulling the deadly device into his throat. He hoisted her up onto his back, before running as fast as he could into the wall, winding her, and causing her to let go. He turned on her.

"You made a big mistake lady." He told her. "Hicks briefed everybody, I go nowhere without an escort!"

"Very clever pretty boy." She sneered, pulling herself back to her feet. "Of course it is still just the two of us in here."

Just then, the door was kicked off its hinges, and three guards stormed in. The Wraith looked around in horror, realising she was trapped.

"Give it up lady, you're coming in!" One of them screamed. She turned to Chas once more, giving him a look that chilled him to the bone.

"Sorry pretty boy, but I already accepted the money." She told him. "Professional courtesy dictates that I complete the job."

She lunged for one of the guards, grabbing his wrist and snapping it, before throwing him into the others. She grabbed the blaster, levelling it at Chas, but he had recovered too quickly. Grabbing one of the blasters from the floor, he fired, scoring a telling hit to her head. She fell lifelessly to the floor, blood oozing from the hole in her skull onto the floor. Eventually Hicks and the others arrived.

"I didn't have time to set it to stun." He told them as they checked her body. It was a futile gesture, but procedure demanded that Hicks check her pulse, but it was too late. She was dead before she hit the floor.

"It's alright Chas, you were just defending yourself." Brie assured him. "You didn't have a choice."

"Of course now we'll never know who hired her." Hicks said with a sigh. "Still, the main thing is you're alive."

"Well who's going to marry us now?" Chas asked them. "I mean, if this is The Wraith, then the minister's dead too."

"I'll read the ceremony." Colonel Truman told them. "As your commanding officer, I am entitled to do so."

"You still want to get married after all this?" Brie asked him. Chas smiled at her, and held her, laying a hand softly on her abdomen.

"With all I have to look forward to?" He asked her. "There's nothing that would ever stop me wanting to make you my wife."

As they went back out into the main hall, Alex De Winter's grip on his cane tightened when he saw Chas. If he was still alive, then that meant his daughter had failed. He had taught her himself, he knew the only way that would happen was if she was dead.

Fresno Bob noticed him shifting a little uneasily on the pew and observed him more closely. He didn't look happy, something that was odd considering the fact he was Chas' Godfather.

As Colonel Truman completed the ceremony, declaring them man and wife, Bob noticed him unclipping a catch on his cane, and gripping the cane and handle portions, pulling it apart slightly. He caught the faintest hint of a reflection, realising there was a blade inside.

Fresno Bob rushed forward as soon as he saw Alex leave his seat, drawing the cane-sword. Alex thrust forward, only to find Bob in the path of his strike. Everyone gasped in astonishment as the blade was driven home. Fresno Bob's eyes shot open wide as the blade went straight through him, before collapsing to the floor.

Hicks hit Alex with a stun-blast, sending him to the floor unconscious. The other guards quickly surrounded him, cuffing him and dragging him away as Sam checked over Fresno Bob.

"Somebody call an ambulance!" Hicks screamed as she tried to stop the bleeding. Chas held his new bride as the Rangers escorted them from the building. Ziggy could only stare in horror at the fallen body of his former boss. Fresno Bob had been the closest thing he had to a father, and he still felt a certain attachment to him. He still couldn't believe that he had risked his life to save Chas. He knew that like everything else in Bob's life, there had to be more to this than met the eye. He just wished he knew what.


	16. The Wedding Night

Everyone returned to the Garage following the situation at the wedding. De Winter had been taken into custody, but could not be questioned until he regained consciousness. Fresno Bob meanwhile, had been rushed to the nearby hospital to get treated.

The mood was awkward in the room. While they were happy that the wedding had gone by, and that Chas was now safe, it hadn't come without a cost. They were still unsure as to his condition. While they weren't exactly friends of his, the Rangers still would never have wanted Bob to come to any harm.

Chas and Ziggy in particular seemed upset by the whole thing. They knew that Chas' family had been friends with Fresno Bob for years, and that he seemed to almost be a relative. Chas still referred to him as "Uncle Bob" on occasions.

Ziggy meanwhile, was silent the whole way back from the city hall, refusing to talk to anyone. He had opened up to the Rangers a lot more in the past few months, and so they all knew about his less than ideal upbringing in the orphanage. He had never been adopted, and had grown up there all his days until he fell in with the Scorpion Cartel. He had taken him in and accepted him, protected him in a way no one else he'd ever met had.

Sam, Hicks and the Colonel had all been called back to the base, leaving the other guests to go back to the Garage for the reception, though no one was really in much of a mood to celebrate, and had all quietly just passed along their congratulations and gone home, leaving only Chas and Brie to return to the Garage with Dr. K and the Rangers.

Tenaya came into the room, which had been decorated for the occasion, looking immediately for Ziggy. More than the others, he had told her all about his life before Project Ranger, and so when the news had been announced what had happened, she knew that he would be upset. She sat with him on the couch, just holding him, letting him rest against her. Given the circumstances, Dillon didn't object, even if there was a part of him that kept him watching Ziggy closely through the corner of his eye.

Dr. K took a seat a little way off by herself, Scott's jacket wrapped around her for warmth. The revealing nature of the dress did not lend itself well to keeping out the cold, and she was quickly finding she hated the cold. Pulling it around herself, it looked almost like a huge blanket given her size. She curled up on the seat, pulling her knees into herself and under the coat.

Gem and Gemma looked a little saddened by the events of the day. While they had lived outside the dome and had seen considerable violence and destruction, this was the first time they had really seen the horrific effects of violence on humans. They were both stunned to see him lying on the floor, blood oozing out of him. It seemed like it was never going to stop. Gemma in particular couldn't stop shaking as she remembered the look in his eyes as the blade went through him.

Dillon held Summer for support as they sat on the stairs nearby. Scott just paced back and forth, trying to think of something to say or do to break the mood, but only succeeding in making himself, and the others more tense than they already were.

Finally Flynn got sick of the silence ad spoke.

"Look, we're all upset about what happened, but we can't let that ruin the day." He told them in a soft tone. "The Colonel told us he'd let us know if his condition changes."

"So what do you suggest?" Ziggy asked him in a tone that suggested more than a little hint of anger. "We just go ahead with the party like nothing's happened?"

"Ziggy, he's not saying that at all, are you Flynn?" Summer chipped in, giving him a warning glance as she realised the Green Ranger was close to snapping at him. "He's just saying that we should be happy for Chas and Brie."

"Aye, that's all man." Flynn told him, unclipping his bow tie. "We can't dwell on this."

"Besides, I'm sure he'll be fine." Dillon said as reassuringly as he could. "You don't get to the top of the most powerful gang there is without being tough."

"He's a 59 year old man who's just had a sword rammed straight through him!" Ziggy reminded him. "What part of that suggests he'll be alright?"

"He's getting the best of care." Scott assured him. "Between the hospital and the fact I'm sure the Cartel will be using some of their resources, he's being taken care of. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Ziggy, I know you're upset, but moping around here isn't going to make anything better." Summer told him, coming over to him and running a hand through his hair softly. "I know I for one am starving. I haven't eaten a thing since this morning."

"Aye, there's a mountain of food over there that's just going to go in the bin otherwise." Flynn reminded him. "Come on, what do you say we cheer ourselves up a little?"

"I'm not really in the mood." Ziggy told them flatly as he grabbed a few beers and just stormed off, towards his room. Summer wanted to follow, but Tenaya stopped her, shaking her head.

"I'll go." She told her softly. "He just needs a little time to himself."

"Tenaya went after him, going into the room before closing the door behind her. Dillon frowned as he glared at the door, but Summer just snapped her fingers, drawing his attention back to her.

"They'll be fine." She stated, realising that his fraternal instincts were beginning to get the better of him again.

"Why do they have to close the door?" He asked her. "A SOUNDPROOF door?"

"Somehow I think right now that's about the furthest thing from his mind, don't you?" She asked him, before smiling at him and turning her back to him, wrapping his arms around herself and settling back into his grip. "So how about some of that food?"

"I'll just get started on it." Flynn told them as he got up, making his way through to the kitchen. "Gem, Gemma would you two like to give me a hand?"

The twins just nodded and made their way to the kitchen to help him. Brie turned to Chas and kissed him gently.

"I know you're worried about him honey, but Summer's right, there's nothing we can do right now." She told him. "Why don't we try and enjoy at least a little of the night?"

"I suppose you're right." He sighed, before smiling down at her. He kissed her gently, before parting, looking deeply into her eyes. "I love you Mrs. Winchester."

He was suddenly bombarded from at least three different directions by pretzels, at which he started laughing.

"Do you have any idea how cheesy that was?" Scott chuckled, holding one of the offending bowls. Chas just grabbed a handful from his lap and threw them back at him, laughing.

"If you can't be cheesy on your wedding day, when can you?" He asked him.

In another part of town, in a dark basement, Spike Mike was sitting with his most trusted lieutenants, listening to the reports of the wedding. By now, it was the hottest news in Corinth. An attempt on the life of a Mayoral candidate, the wedding of the year, and one of Corinth's most prominent citizens being laid low all in one night? It was a virtual free-for-all of reports on the exact details of the incident. Of course, with the security so tight around the building, reports were taken from a huge array of sources of varying reliability, meaning that stories went from the sublime to the ridiculous. One reporter had even claimed that she was told by an informant that Colonel Truman had been the assassin, and had tried to kill Bob in an effort to cover it up.

Spike Mike just laughed as he turned off the TV, causing everyone in the room to look at him like he had lost his mind.

"Boss…the assassin failed." One of his men finally managed to say. Spike Mike just slammed his hand on the table as he continued to laugh.

"I kind of got that." He sniggered. "I just think this is the funniest damn thing in years!"

"Boss, we just lost five hundred grand paying De Winter to put Chas on ice." One of the others reminded him. "How is that funny?"

Spike Mike stopped laughing and looked at his lieutenants like they were the ones who were insane.

"You don't get it do you?" He asked them. "Fresno Bob is as good as dead. They said so themselves. That's something we'd never have accomplished by ourselves! De Winter's done us a favour!"

"Sir…"

"The Scorpions are going to be so caught up in trying to save their fallen leader and ghosting De Winter inside that they're going to be out of the game." He explained like it was the simplest thing in the world. "In that vacuum, there'll be no one to stop a few opportunistic people like ourselves seizing territory. The only thing stopping us was the Scorpions and that damned treaty we signed."

"You're talking about breaking the treaty?" One of them said in a sly drawl as he saw where this was going.

"Boys, with the Scorpions without a head to direct the tail, their sting won't matter." He replied, pulling out a blaster. "Now's the time to leave only one Carte in Corinth, the way it should have been all along."

Ziggy was sitting on the edge of his bed, sipping away on some beer and looking at a few pictures that had been taken of him across the years. Tenaya sat beside him, holding him tightly.

"He was the first one who thought of me as something other than an orphan." Ziggy told her. "Even my own parents didn't want me, but he took me in. He taught me so much."

Tenaya picked up a couple of the photos. One was of Ziggy in his first suit when he had just joined the Cartel. The next was his first mug shot, while another showed him serving food in the prison cafeteria.

"I know this upsets you." She replied with a sigh. "I don't really have any memory of anyone like that in my life. I know Dillon took care of me before, but other than that, nothing. I have no idea who my parents were."

"Why did he do it?" Ziggy asked her. "The whole time I've known him, he barely lifted a hand to anyone. He always let others fight for him. Why did he fight this time?"

"Maybe you taught him a little something too." Tenaya suggested. "Your heart's so good and decent…it even got through to me."

"Venjix made you like that." He responded, taking her hand in his. "You were never a bad person…"

"Maybe no one ever is." Tenaya responded. "Maybe all we need is something or someone t beak through whatever programmes us to be that way."

"I really wish there was something I could do for him." Ziggy told her. "He's done so much for me, I still feel like I owe him."

Tenaya just pulled him in, hugging him tightly and letting him just remain there. As they parted a little, he rubbed his eyes, clearing them. He looked deeply into her eyes, before pulling her in, kissing her passionately. Tenaya quickly returned the kiss, holding him closely as her heart raced. As they parted, he looked longingly at her, taking in her amazing beauty, and felt himself smiling in a way he never had. She looked a little surprised, but didn't resist as he shoved her back down against the mattress. She reached up, stroking his face as she looked up at her, unable to respond, totally intoxicated by him as he leant in, bringing his lips to hers. Any doubts she had about what was going to happen melted away, like a bad dream at daybreak. She wanted this as much as he did.

At the prison, De Winter was sitting in a cell after a long period of questioning. The military had asked him over and over again to name the people who hired him, but he refused. Assassination was his family business, and had been for generations. Until his daughter had completed her training, allowing him to retire and pass the mantle to her, he had been The Wraith. His family hadn't been in the business for so long without knowing the rules. If they accepted the money, the job was to be completed, and under no circumstances was the client ever to be named.

He stood with his back to the door, his eyes closed as he quietly meditated, pondering what would become of him. He couldn't complete the assignment, so there was a chance that one or all of the cartels would send someone after him, while he was also aware that The Scorpion Cartel now also had a score to settle.

As the door opened, he heard it creaking. His eyes snapped open and he smiled.

"You took longer than I thought." He responded. "So, what grudge is being settled."

"Fresno Bob could die tonight." One of the thugs responded, pulling out a knife. His comrade did the same. "If so, it won't be until you're ghosted."

"Many have tried; you will not be the first. He replied, turning around and opening his arms wide. "I bid you good luck."

A few minutes later, after the screams subsided, a guard doing his rounds noticed the cell door open and came in, finding two members of the Scorpion Cartel lying in a pool of blood, and De Winter missing.

Back at the Garage, Hicks arrived, having finally been relieved of duty. He found the others in the middle of a slightly subdued celebration. Chas and Brie were slowly dancing on the floor, while Scott, Flynn and Dr. K all talked quietly in the corner. The twins had brightened up a little, and were busy watching footage of the wedding...all except for the end of course...and laughing with childish enthusiasm. He could see a little blush coming to Gemma's cheeks as Gem gestured his hands down across his face, illustrating a veil. He was obviously asking her about her idea of her own wedding. He couldn't help smiling as he saw her reaction.

Summer and Dillon looked up from the couch where they were holding each other. Summer disentangled herself and made her way over, causing them to look round.

"Is there any news about Uncle Bob?" Chas asked him. It still seemed a little odd to him to hear Chas call one of Corinth's leading mobsters Uncle. He had, like his father, always kept that connection private given the circumstances. He shook his head.

"He's in a pretty bad way. They've got him stabilised, but he's still critical." He informed them. "The sword went into his liver. They've repaired most of the damage, but he still hasn't regained consciousness."

He breathed a small sigh and shifted uneasily as they all looked at him expectantly as though he was about to tell them some good news. Unfortunately he had none.

"They're doing all they can with nutrients and medication, but he's lost a lot of blood. Without a transfusion, it really is pretty touch and go whether or not he'll make it." He continued. "His blood type is very rare so we're finding it next to impossible to find a donor. He's fighting with all he has, but he's pretty weak."

"Thanks for telling us." Chas replied, taking a seat. Dr. K slipped out the back of the room into her lab. Scott noticed her leaving and went with her.

"Sorry I missed so much of the day." Hicks said apologetically. "I guess as Best Man I kind of sucked."

"Hey, you got me to the altar in one piece." Chas replied, slapping his upper arm in a comforting gesture. "You did your job."

"I did miss getting a dance with the Maid of Honour." He commented. "Still, I'm sure you prefer where you ended up anyway."

"I kind of like it here." She told him. She looked up at Dillon, flicking her eyes in the direction of her room. "I'm a little tired actually. I'll see you later."

"Summer!" Brie called out as she got up, before throwing the bouquet at her. Dillon and Summer just looked at each other for a second, before the garter was fired at him, hitting him in the chest and landing in his lap.

"That still counts." Chas told him. "It looks like you too are next."

Summer smiled, and went up stairs, at which Dillon followed her. The Twins just looked at each other for a second.

"I'm kind of tired too." Gem told his sister.

"I'll be up later." She told him. "I'll catch up with you later."

As he left, she turned to Hicks and smiled, brushing hair out of her face nervously as she approached him. He had to admit that she was beautiful in her dress. It was completely unlike how he had ever seen her.

"You could always dance with me." She suggested. He smiled a little as he took her in his arms, adopting a waltz grip and they started to slowly turn on the floor. Her skin felt so soft, and her grip was gentle and warm. As she leant in, he felt her breath against his neck, and it sent a little chill down his spine. The scent from her shampoo filled his nose.

He shook his head a little as he remembered the conversation they'd had before. He knew she liked him, and it was now that he could see how truly beautiful a woman she was.

"It tickles." She muttered into his chest. He looked down at her, a little confused. She smiled and rubbed his chin. "Your chin, it tickles."

He gave her a little half smile as he heard this. All of a sudden, his observations of her as an attractive woman seemed...wrong somehow. She was a kid. A 23 year old kid, but a kid nonetheless. He just held her and got back to the dance, unable to say anything. He could only concentrate on getting through the dance.

Meanwhile, Dr. K was in her lab, clutching Scott's coat around her. Scott put a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you want your jacket back?" She asked him, her eyes betraying the comfort it gave her. It was more than just the warmth. The smell of it, the feel of it against her skin, all reminded her of the most important part. It was his. He gave it to her to make her feel better. He shook his head.

"You can keep it for now." He told her. "You left pretty quickly. I notice you came somewhere you're comfortable."

"Weddings are apparently another thing I'm not comfortable with." She muttered. Scott turned her chair around and knelt down, looking her in the face.

"You don't like the dress?" He asked her. "You looked great."

She smiled at him, and her face lit up as she heard this.

"I...you like the way I look...like this?" She asked him. Scott tried to think of a way he could answer without sounding shallow.

"Well...I guess I'm so used to seeing you in your uniforms..."

"This is the second time you've mentioned seeing me not wearing my uniform." She reminded him. Her heart slipped a little as she thought off this. "Is there something wrong with the way I look? Do I need special clothing...?"

"Dr. K, I never meant it like that." He told her. "It's just...you have a pretty nice body."

"You think I should work in the lab wearing a bikini?" She asked him, seeing the uncomfortable look on his face. "I hardly think that would be very safe."

"For both of us." He mumbled under his breath, trying to imagine that scene.

"Excuse me?" She asked. "I didn't hear you."

"I was just thinking, I know the lab coat's kind of necessary but the rest of it...it's basically a school uniform." He explained. "It really isn't flattering."

"I've worn clothing like that for as long as I can remember." She told him.

"A change can be good." He told her. "I had an MC Hammer stage where I wore practically nothing but parachute pants. Thank God that changed!"

She sniggered a little thinking about that particular mental image.

"I suppose I could think about wearing something else." She replied. "I suppose it is time I put Alphabet Soup behind me."

Scott looked at her for a second and shook his head a little.

"What are you thinking?" She asked. "Is it my hair now?"

"No, I was just thinking...personally I think you looked better." He told her. "As a bride I mean."

"You remembered that?" She asked him, remembering wearing a wedding dress as a distraction at Summer's wedding.

"Of course I do." He told her. "You made a beautiful bride."

"Maybe I've judged weddings a little too quickly." She commented, reaching a hand out and touching his face gently. "Thank you Scott."

He looked deeply into her eyes, before leaning in. She pulled away a little in panic, but quickly found herself allowing him to kiss her. An awkward feeling in her stomach pulled her away from him.

"What is it?" He asked her. "You don't..."

"Scott, I do want to...it's just..." She stammered, before turning to him. "I know something, something which could save Fresno Bob's life."

"Excuse me?" He asked, not knowing whether to be confused that she had said that, or upset that she was thinking about Fresno Bob when he was trying to kiss her.

"I made a promise not to say anything; people could get hurt by what I know." She explained. "Fresno Bob has two sons. Neither of them knows he's their father. It is likely one of them could be a suitable donor for him."

"Dr. K, if you know this, you have to say something." Scott told her. "Bob could die if he doesn't get that blood."

"But he made me promise I wouldn't say anything." She told him. "One of his children he only found out about recently. The other he gave up so he wouldn't be targeted as a way to hurt him."

"He gave up his..." His words tailed off as he realised what she meant. "Ziggy's his son?"

Dr. K could only nod as she started to weep under the pressure of holding information that could save a life, but at the expense of potentially destroying two others. Scott held her, allowing her to weep as he got into the chair with her, rocking her gently. He couldn't believe what he had just heard, but he was there with her, regardless of what she decided to do. It was a decision he didn't envy her having to make.

The next morning, Ziggy woke up, finding that he was not alone in his bed. He looked to Tenaya, finding her resting peacefully. She stirred as he looked at her and smiled.

"Do you feel better now?" She asked him cheekily. He smiled and leaned across, stroking her hair.

"I feel amazing." He told her. "That was...incredible."

"What time is it?" She asked him. He reached across, picking up his watch and looked at it in horror.

"Um...you enjoyed that right?" He asked her.

"What do you think?" She asked him, curling into him.

"That's good, because it's almost Midday." He informed her. "If Dillon's up and he sees us like this...oh, I am so dead!"

A little way from them, Summer was just getting dressed after her shower, when she looked over to where Dillon was still sitting on the bed.

"You know you haven't asked me yet." She reminded him. He looked at her a little puzzled. She picked up the bouquet to remind him.

"You don't believe in all that do you?" He asked her. Summer put her leg up on the bed and smiled in response.

"Would it be such a bad thing?" She asked. "How about tempting fate a little?"

He sighed and shook his head, at which Summer shifted around in front of him.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have been playing like that." She told him. "I know..."

"Summer, I really want to be with you." He told her. "But not because of some stupid tradition. I can't imagine ever wanting someone else."

"Dillon, I was..."

"I wasn't." He told her, picking up the garter and kneeling before her. "Summer, I want this more than anything, but only if you're being serious. Don't make a game out of this."

Summer felt herself beginning to well up as she saw this. She nodded and lifted up her leg, allowing him to slide the garter onto her leg.

He stood up, kissing her passionately as they embraced, his heart racing as he accepted her into his life for good.

Just then a coursing pain raced through his head, causing him to cry out. He shoved her away and fell to his knees, clutching his head. Summer looked at him from the floor.

"Dillon, what's wrong?" She screamed as she raced to his side. "Dillon, answer me!"

As he turned, his face slipped into an evil sneer, and his eyes started to glow red. Summer immediately realised the danger she was in. She started to make her way to the door, but he grabbed her, ramming her hard against the door, driving the air out of her and smashing her face against it. He clamped a hand over her mouth, and held her tightly as he locked the door. Summer remembered to her horror that the rooms were soundproof. With the door closed, there was no way she could call for help. He slipped her morpher out of her pocket and threw it far from her reach.

He threw her through the nearby dresser, leaving her lying in the debris, barely conscious. Summer tried to crawl away, but he reached down, grabbing her and turning her onto her back. He seized her around the neck with both hands, before lifting her off the floor with inhuman strength. Her legs hung above the ground, unable to stop her as he rammed her against the wall.

Her eyes bulged in her head and her face started to turn red as he strangled her aggressively. She looked down, seeing the eyes of the man she loved, still glowing red, but tears running down his face as he watched helplessly, unable to stop his own hands from choking the life out of the woman he loved.


	17. Summer Ends

Tears rolled down Dillon's face as he tried to stop himself. He could see everything and knew exactly what was happening, but it was like watching a horrible movie. He was a helpless passenger in his own body. He watched on as Summer's legs started kicking a little less.

Summer knew that the end was near. Her head was throbbing, and her lips felt tight as a result of the attack. She couldn't breathe, and she knew it wouldn't be long until she passed out from the attack.

Looking down into the twisted snarl that was before her, she knew it wasn't the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. It was a machine, the very thing they had been fighting to protect him from had come out, and it was now the thing that seemed destined to end her life.

She reached onto his wrist, finding his morpher, and activated the emergency communication link, linking it to all the others. She pushed his hands away just enough to speak.

"Help....me..." she managed to croak out before Dillon realised what she had done. She ripped the morpher from his wrist and dropped it on the floor before he managed to defeat her strength and start choking her again. A second later, he heard an alert as Scott sounded the alarm outside.

"Summer, Dillon what's going on in there?" He barked through the intercom as he realised he wasn't getting an answer. "Summer, answer me!"

Dillon tossed her aside like she was nothing, leaving her fighting for breath as he made his way to the door. He hit the key pad, opening it and stood in the doorway.

"Dillon, Summer...."

"She's fine." Dillon cut him off before he could say anything. The processor controlling him had already ascertained the probabilities of taking on all the Rangers at once, and had decided against it.

"The emergency...."

"Things got a little carried away." Dillon interrupted him sharply. "I'm sure a guy like you understands that sometimes things get a little...out of control."

He was about to leave, writing it off as an accident until he saw Summer crawling on the floor, beaten and bloody. He immediately snapped into action, kicking the door open into Dillon's face.

As he staggered backwards, Dillon looked up to Scott, before his eyes flashed red. He realised at once what had happened, the virus had claimed Dillon.

He cast a look over to where Summer was lying, barely moving. Dillon grabbed him and slammed him against the wall.

"You've been a thorn in Venjix's side for far too long." He whispered as he pulled closer.

"Dillon, you can fight this!" Scott rushed out. "You've done it before...."

"You're not as tough as Venjix thought." He commented, drawing back a fist to strike. "If you were..."

"Dillion, NO!" Summer screamed, using all the strength she had to leap onto his back and grab him. He responded by smashing Scott in the face with his elbow, before grabbing her and bringing her back around in front of him. He looked up as Flynn and Ziggy appeared in the doorway.

"I guess you want to play catch!" He snapped, raising Summer over his head. He threw her as hard as he could, slamming her into them. Ziggy and Flynn both pitched backwards over the guard rail, landing in a heap on the floor, while Summer bounced off the pool table and landed on the floor a little way off.

Dillon left the room, finding Tenaya and the twins running over to the others, and casting looks in his direction. He just sneered and got into his car, beginning to make his way to his car.

"We have to stop him!" Gemma screamed, running up to him. A back-fisted slap from him sent her to the floor before her brother acted. Not so forgiving, given he had hurt his system threw a flying kick his direction, but Dillon caught him and threw him aside, causing a shelving unit filled with spare tyres to collapse on him. He got into his car and gunned the engine, peeling out of the Garage at a reckless speed, barely missing Scott and Flynn as they threw themselves aside to avoid being run over.

As he left the Garage, Dr. K rushed out of the lab, firstly to Summer, since she was the only one who was silent. All the rest were groaning or screaming, so it was obvious they were alive.

"She isn't breathing!" Dr. K announced as she turned to Tenaya. "Do you know CPR?"

"I have some knowledge...."

"Then I need your help!" Dr. K screamed as she turned Summer onto her back and pressed her lips to Summer's beginning resuscitation. The others scrambled to their feet and gave chase as they fought to revive the Yellow Ranger.

In another part of town, a few members of The Blue Crew were performing a routine job on a warehouse. As they started to load a few crates onto the back of a truck, Spike Mike and a few of his enforcers arrived. They looked up in horror as they saw him.

"This is our turf!" One of them reminded him. "The border..."

"It was your turf." Spike Mike corrected him as he they levelled blasters at them. "Now it's ours!"

As the first shots rang out, The Blue Crew turned tail and ran amid a hail of laser shots. Spike Mike went over to the truck, and grabbed a crow bar, prying open one of the crates, finding more blasters in there. He turned back to the others.

"I guess I wasn't the only one with this idea." He commented.

"You can say that again!" He heard a voice screaming from down the street, and he looked up to see members of the South Town Sweet Tooths, carrying blasters. They started to lay down a curtain of fire, forcing his own men into retreat. Spike Mike saw the wisdom of a tactical withdrawal, and set a grenade in the truck, blowing it to smithereens as they ran. Nearby troops came into the area and joined the fire fight. The war for control of Corinth's streets had begun.

Dillon made his way purposefully towards Central Command, screeching to a halt a little way from the door. He got out of the car as guards approached him. He grabbed the first of them, throwing him dismissively aside, before taking the other down with a hard kick to the face.

Scott screeched to a halt a little way from Dillon's car, in time to see him step onto the elevator to the control room.

"He's heading for the command centre!" Scott roared as the doors slammed shut. "If he gets up there, he'll be able to shut off the shields!"

"We have to stop him!" Flynn called out as they rushed for the other lift.

"At least Summer got his morpher off him." Ziggy grumbled. "It's bad enough we have to fight him without him pulling the Ranger arsenal out."

Back in the Garage, Summer's eyes fluttered open as she finally came to. She tried to move, but was quickly stopped by a shooting pain in her ribs. Every inch of her body hurt as she tried to move.

"Try not to move, you have received extensive injuries." Dr. K warned her.

"You're telling me." Summer grumbled as she resigned herself to staying in the bed they had set up for her in the lab. "The virus took over."

"It appears so." Dr. K replied. "His strong will and the anti-viral uploads retarded its spread, but I always feared that his resolve could slip."

"What are you saying?" Summer asked her. Dr. K sighed and looked at her.

"It took all his concentration to stop the programme's orders penetrating his mind. It might not have looked like it, but he was struggling every moment." Dr. K told her. "The virus should have overtaken him weeks ago, but he managed to keep it under control because he's so stubborn."

"So what changed?" Summer asked her, stroking her chest. In the attempts to revive her, Dr. K had been forced to administer CPR, and had cracked her sternum. She felt a little cold as she recalled the conversation they had been having when he turned on her.

"I warned him against moments of strong emotion." Dr. K informed her. "The most significant progressions of the virus occurred when he let his heart rule his head, like when he found out about his sister and Ziggy or..."

"It's my fault." Summer interrupted her, putting a hand across her eyes and sobbing gently. "I knew he shouldn't get worked up and..."

"Summer, I sincerely doubt..."

"I asked him to marry me!" She admitted, her left hand playing with the garter which was still around her leg. "We got caught up in a moment after we woke up. I was playing and reminded him I caught the bouquet and we were next. He got down on one knee and..."

Dr. K just threw her arms around Summer as the Yellow Ranger broke down. She could only imagine the torture of knowing she had lost the man she loved to Venjix, and worst of all, knowing that she had been instrumental in it happening.

Back at the command centre, the elevator got to the top floor, to the command room. Colonel Truman saw Dillon as the doors opened, but could tell something was different about him.

"Dillon, I'm surprised you're up this early." Hicks chuckled as he greeted him. "I'd have thought..."

His words were cut off as Dillon punched him hard in the chest, before launching him through the computer console in the middle of the room.

Vasquez ran over, carrying a tazer and tried to stun him, but Dillon caught her and rammed it into her throat, shocking her. As she collapsed, he turned to face Colonel Truman.

The Colonel realised that Dillon was not in control of his actions and reached under his desk, pulling out a blaster rifle. He levelled it at the Black Ranger.

"Dillon, I don't want to hurt you." He said as calmly as he could. "Corinth's safety is my responsibility. If I have to, I'll blow your brains out."

Dillon just smirked at him, before throwing the tazer at him, knocking the blaster from his grip. Before he could pull his side-arm, Dillon had crossed the room and knocked the Colonel unconscious.

The other elevator arrived, carrying the other Rangers. They made their way around the room, surrounding Dillon. He just smiled as he prepared for battle.

Out in the wastes, D46 was sitting in his tent, wearing only his underwear as he meditated, preparing himself for the mission ahead.

Knowing that Venjix was creating more of his loathsome kin made Marcus' blood boil. Every scar on his body burned as he was reminded again what he had become.

He remembered when the Grinders shackled him to the table, and the steel tentacles, carrying surgical tools descended from the ceiling. He remembered the panic, the fear flashing through his mind as he saw them coming. His screams drowned out all of his thoughts as the first incision was made...

Now his body looked like a patchwork quilt. He had indeed escaped before Venjix could programme his mind, but also before he could be given the healing serum. Scars covered every inch of his body below his neck, each one a vivid and painful memory. He remembered how each and every incision felt. He wasn't anaesthetised at all for the procedure. Every time it was the same. The shock as a blade pierced the flesh. The burning as it was dragged across, parting skin and muscle. He had almost passed out several times, but he was constantly given steroids to keep him awake so that his reactions could be monitored. He had never known the mercy of death, every second of the 79 hour operation was agony. It was that pain he felt every time he faced one of his "siblings".

His eyes shot open, and he snatched up his sword, turning and levelling it at Scarlett's throat as she entered. She held up her hands submissively.

"Hey, I thought you loved me." She said with a teasing pout. Marcus chuckled and sheathed his sword, before getting to his feet and kissing her deeply.

"Have you prepared the men like I asked?" He inquired as he fetched his trousers, pulling them on. She nodded.

"They're all going to be in position as ordered." She told him.

"I'll be carrying enough C4 to vaporise all of them." He told her. "I just need to know the covering fire will be there."

"Aren't they always?" Scarlett asked him. Marcus smiled.

"You are amazing." He told her as he pulled on his jacket and grabbed his kit bag. "Be ready for my signal."

As he left, one of the other rebels entered the shelter, watching him go.

"Where's General Truman going?" He asked her. "He said..."

Scarlett grabbed his chin, spinning the young man's head sharply, breaking his neck with ease. She raised her wrist to her mouth.

"The plan is proceeding as expected master Venjix." She stated. "D46 is heading for the camp as planned."

"Does anyone suspect anything?" It asked her. She laughed.

"No one knows a thing." She told her master. "Once you've removed D46, the camp will fall like a house of cards."

Back at the Command centre, Scott was thrown to the floor as Dillon battered the Rangers mercilessly.

"We can't let him lower those shields!" He roared as he morphed. The others quickly followed suit. "Take him down!"

Flynn grabbed him, restraining him as Scott rushed over, but Dillon kicked him away before throwing Flynn aside.

Ziggy saw the tazer and got an idea. Pulling a power line out of the computer, he held it behind his back.

"Come on then Dillon, let's see if you can handle the Green guy!" He taunted him. Dillon snorted and started to advance on him. The analysis had designated him as the weakest of the team, a minimal threat. As Dillon got close, Ziggy thrust the cable into his chest.

Sparks flew and Dillon danced and twitched as the current ran through him, before collapsing to the floor. Scott leapt onto his fallen body and restrained him.

"Nice work Ziggy." He commented. "What do we do now?"

D46 arrived at the camp with Scarlett, observing the camp through his binoculars. His heart burned as he watched innocent people in varying stages of the procedure to turn them into infiltrators.

"I'm going to start setting the charges." He told her. "Once I return, signal the others."

"Of course." She replied as he left. She got a little smirk on her face as he left. There were no others to back him up. She hadn't relayed his message as he had ordered, he was there alone. It was a turkey shoot. Venjix had tolerated the disruption of D46 and his guerrillas for too long already.

As Marcus got into the camp, quietly taking care of a couple of Grinder sentries, he saw and heard a flare being fired. Scarlett had sounded the signal far too early. He hadn't set the charges yet. He looked around in horror as he was surrounded by infiltrators. A black and red robot strode out, bowing in acknowledgement of his foe.

"So you're the legendary D46?" It stated. "I was expecting you to be bigger. Not that it matters. You've been a thorn in Master's side for far too long."

"Scarlett!" He roared, pulling out his sword and preparing to defend himself. The robot just laughed.

"You mean E3." It corrected him. "We couldn't believe how easy it was to dupe you."

"She's one of these...things!" He snarled.

"She has been a part of the plan to end your little rebellion for a long time." It told him. "Now, she's the one to lead you into your destruction."

"So who are you?" He asked. "Since I'm going to die anyway."

"My name is Kilobot." It answered. "Venjix's most trusted and ruthless general."

"Well you look like every other tin can I've opened." Marcus stated, pulling his sword into a guarding position. "Now, who's first?"

Kilobot snapped his fingers, at which the completed infiltrators fell upon Marcus in a furious assault.

Scott, Gem and Flynn all dragged a struggling, restrained Dillon back into the Garage following the battle. Dr. K greeted them, happy that they had stopped him before he caused lasting damage.

"Doc, what can we do with him?" Scott asked her.

"We don't have any choice; the virus has taken over his mind." She told them sadly. "Until I can reverse the process, we have to put him into stasis."

"Stasis?" Summer asked weakly as she arrived in the room, propping herself up on the doorframe.

"Summer..."

"How long for?" She asked, her eyes already beginning to well up. Dr. K shook her head.

"I don't know." She replied. "Until I can find a way to reverse it, he will always be under Venjix's control. He may well be in there for good."

Summer looked into the eyes of the thing standing, struggling against its captors, but could see no warmth, no compassion, none of the things she loved about Dillon. Ziggy came over to her as she nodded weakly, accepting that they had to put him back into the stasis pod. As heartbreaking as it was the first time, this time it was worse. She didn't know if she'd ever get him back, and worst of all, she had sent him there.

"Wait a minute." Tenaya told them. She reached into his pocket, retrieving his watch, and then took the key from around his neck.

"I'll hold onto these bro." She told him. "I'll keep them safe, I promise."

With that, she held Summer as the Rangers all went into the stasis room. Dillon renewed his struggle as they opened the pod. The others forced him inside as Summer watched helplessly, her tears running down her face as she watched him being condemned to the pod.

As the pod sealed, she lost all strength, slumping towards the floor. Tenaya grabbed her, holding her up and hugged her as her own tears began. Scott came over to Dr. K, putting his arm around her.

"What are we going to do now?" He asked her. "We're now down one Ranger."

"I don't know." She replied, looking up at him. "I really don't."

Back at the camp, Marcus stood, covered in blood. Corpses littered the ground all around him, his former brethren. He turned to Kilobot and levelled the blade at him.

"You don't have any more puppets to hide behind!" He roared as his tears ran freely down his face. Kilobot just laughed.

"You are a more formidable opponent than I would have thought." He commented. "Perhaps you are worthy of notice. Still, if you don't mind...I have to return to my master."

With that, Kilobot turned and left, and the remaining pods opened, releasing the last of the infiltrators. Marcus flew into a fury, butchering every last one of them. By the time it was over, he was covered in blood, and every muscle ached. Scarlett appeared behind him, causing him to turn around.

"Your rebellion's over." She sneered at him. "Human existence is..."

She never finished. Marcus sliced her head from her shoulders in one stroke with a savage scream, before collapsing to his knees and looking around, taking in the hellish scene. Blood and broken bodies were all that were left of the camp. He wept for the loss of the woman he loved, for her betrayal, before setting the charges. As he made the lonely trek back to the guerrilla's camp, he detonated them, leaving only ashes. That was what had to happen. Every trace of Venjix had to be destroyed, no matter the cost.


	18. Nap Time

The following day, Summer stirred awake, in the room containing Dillon's stasis pod. Given her stubborn refusal to leave the last time they had been forced to seal Dillon in time, they knew it was pointless to try and get her to leave, and so had resigned themselves to the fact she would be staying there for the foreseeable future and set up a bed for her near the pod.

As she pulled herself into a seating position, she grunted a little. Most of her ribcage was bruised, and her sternum had been cracked when she was resuscitated. Her neck still hurt terribly as a result of the bruising from where Dillon had strangled her and her head and back ached from the fall. Her injuries made moving a far from pleasant experience.

Hearing someone breathing, she looked over and she found Scott sitting in a chair in the opposite corner of the room, snoring as he slept. He didn't want to leave her alone when she was still so upset, and so he had stayed with her. It looked like he had been there all night to ensure she was alright. She smiled a little thinking about this. She was far from alright, she had almost been beaten to death by the man she loved, and had been forced to watch him being confined to the stasis pod for a second time, and all because she pushed him to consider spending his life with her. She knew that the virus was still progressing through his system, and that there was still doubt over his future. Looking back now, it seemed cruel to make him face a future they weren't sure he could have.

She came over to Scott's side, shaking him awake. He got up with a start.

"Summer, what time is it?" He asked her, yawning. She checked her watch.

"It's about 9 AM." She told him.

"Are you feeling much better?" He asked her. Summer nodded a little, but couldn't look him in the eye as she did so. She might not have been weeping hysterically, but she was beginning to doubt her ability to function. If Venjix attacked, would she be able to put her responsibilities first? Would her pain prevent her from performing her duties and protecting the city as she had done until that point?

"I'm just about holding it together." She told him. "How are the others?"

"Chas and Brie are alright, Chas is just doing some last minute campaigning ahead of the election tomorrow." He informed her. "His dad's holding that big gala event at his estate tonight."

"Trust Winchester to try and buy the election at the last minute." She muttered.

"The rest of the guys should be up and about by now." He told her. "Would you like to get washed up and join us? I promised Gem and Gemma I'd go for a run with them."

"It's alright; I don't really feel like going outside." She replied. She could see the look on Scott's face and sighed, realising that he was just worried about her. "I promise I won't shut myself in here all day. I just don't really feel like going outside. I promised I'd help Flynn with his engine today. It should help me keep my mind off things."

Scott just smiled at her and hugged her comfortingly. He knew how badly she had taken everything before, and he didn't want her to have to face that again.

Over at Venjix's headquarters, Crunch had just finished putting the finishing touches on his latest creation. He cackled gleefully as it was brought into the room.

"The generation 3 Chemical Bot!" He introduced it with pride. "It'll release a toxin into the dome that'll knock everyone unconscious!"

"It looks like it's made from drinking straws." Shifter commented derisively. "How is anyone meant to take that seriously?"

"I don't know, some would think I look a little odd." Kilobyte said in a casual drawl as he entered the main chamber, causing both Crunch and Shifter to quake in fear as they recognised the voice. "Of course I doubt many would dare to say so to my face."

"Kilobyte, my most feared lieutenant." Venjix responded, observing him returning to the fold. "I thought I had lost you."

"I thought I'd lost myself truth be told." Kilobyte commented, taking off his head and emptying out some sand that had gathered in there from his time wandering the wastes. "Sadly D46 was a lot better prepared than I gave him credit for. We lost the camp."

"It is no matter. I only intended it to draw him out anyway." Venjix responded. "Now that he knows his beloved girlfriend was one of my infiltrators, he will be spending time relocating his irritating little resistance fighters. He will have no time to interfere in my affairs for some time."

"Speaking of infiltrators, where is the girl?" Kilobyte asked the virus, looking around for Tenaya. "Have you destroyed her already?"

"Sadly she has been taken from our ranks." Venjix told him. "She now resides with the Rangers."

"Then I will show her the price of betrayal." Kilobyte responded. "Allow me to go into the city with this...thing."

"As always, I trust your judgement." Venjix replied. "Observe the Chemical Bot's attack. See if there's anything you can learn from the battle."

Summer was understandably quiet as she helped Flynn with his engine, sitting in the cab of his hummer waiting for his instruction to turn the engine over. Gemma arrived back in the Garage, followed closely by Scott and Gem, who both immediately started to protest that she had taken a shortcut or somehow cheated on their run.

Meanwhile, Ziggy took it upon himself to give Tenaya and Dr. K a cooking lesson. He handed Tenaya a paper chef's hat, before pacing one on Dr. K, which she quickly whipped off, looking more than a little irritated.

"Uh, this just goes on here like this..." He said, placing it back on. This time though, she ripped it off, before stuffing it in a blender and shredding it. Tenaya pulled in close to him and whispered in his ear.

"I think you should skip the hat." She told him.

"I'm just glad I didn't touch her or that could have been my hand." He commented. "We'll just skip the hat. Now, the most important component of any breakfast is the fruit..."

Just then, the alarm went off, rousing their attention. Dr. K ran into the lab, looking a little relieved at being spared the cooking lesson. Ziggy just sighed.

"All the other prisoners used to love my cooking." He muttered. "Why wouldn't she want to learn?"

"Don't worry about it." Tenaya replied as the others ran into the lab. She kissed his cheek, before gesturing him into the lab. "I would love any lessons you can give me."

As he joined the others, Scott held Summer, reassuring her.

"There's an attack bot in the city." Dr. K told them, checking her scanners. "It's near gate 17."

"Right, we'll take care of it." Scott told her.

"Without Dillon, we don't have access to the Series Black Zord." Summer reminded them. "What other options do we have?"

"Gemma, is the upgrade finished on the Road Attack Zord?" Scott asked her. Gemma shook her head.

"Not yet." She replied.

"Alright, we just have to hope we don't need the Zords then." He responded. "Come on guys, let's get out of here."

As they ran off, Tenaya came into the lab, finding Dr. K working on the computers to track the battle. She placed herself near a monitor and switched it to the scene of the battle to watch it unfold, just as the Rangers arrived. She watched as they rushed into battle, beginning to attack Grinders left and right. As much as she knew they would do all they could, she began playing with the key on the chain around her neck she was keeping safe for her brother. She knew that they would be missing him in their first battle without him.

At the hospital, Benny sat with Fresno Bob, maintaining the vigil he had since he had arrived. Bob didn't have any family, and so Benny was really the closest thing he had.

"You know you don't have to sit over me all day." Bob told him weakly as he woke up, seeing his old friend reading the newspaper. Benny looked over him a little concerned.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked him. "Do you want me to get a doctor?"

"I think I've seen enough doctors over the last couple of days." He grumbled.

"We've been trying to find a donor for you." He told him. "Bob, we really need you back on your feet."

"Benny, what's going on?" He asked him wearily. Between the combination of his injuries and the medication he was on to stop him overexerting himself, he was incredibly weak. Benny sighed and shook his head.

"Bob, things are starting to go to hell." He informed him. "Now that the Scorpion Cartel are out of the game, the others are clamouring for power. The streets are bloody chaos out there. They're already talking about proclaiming Martial Law if the fighting doesn't subside."

"This is the last thing I ever wanted to happen." He replied. "What are we doing about it?"

"That's just it Bob, there's nothing we can do." He responded honestly. "You were always the brains of the outfit. I'm no leader, without co-ordination, any of the efforts we've made have only made things worse. We've already lost four blocks."

"Sorry, but I think this is one that I'll need to sit out." Bob replied. "I'm not going anywhere soon."

The Rangers arrived back at the Garage after the battle. They had won the battle, but the attack bot had eluded them, disappearing without a trace in a cloud of smoke. They had found a mysterious bottle of chemicals which they suspected to be a clue to its true objective.

Dr. K took it into the lab to analyse it.

"Flynn, Gemma it looks like we really need that upgrade on the Road Attack Zord finished." Scott told them. They both headed over to the work station to carry on working. Ziggy went to talk to Tenaya in the lab. He knew she worried about him any time he was involved in a battle, and went to assure her he was fine. Summer just set up some balls on the pool table. Scott knew she did that any time she had a lot on her mind and needed to relax. This time though, she seemed to have set up an impossible situation. Gem came over, looking at the formation curiously.

"What are you aiming for?" He asked her. Summer looked up to him.

"The three solid colours, followed by the black." She told him. "In one stroke."

"There is no way you make that shot." Scott chuckled, looking at the table. He knew how good she was at pool, but he just couldn't see how the shot was even possible. "Even you can't do that."

She lined up her shot, before hitting the cue ball. She smiled as she watched the cue ball rebound around the table in a seemingly impossible manner, sinking all the balls she had picked, sinking the black.

"See, I told you!" She stated, before turning around. She looked down to find them both on the floor.

"Hey the shot was good, but it wasn't worth fainting over." She joked, kneeling beside them. She tapped Scott's shoulder gently, but became worried when she realised they weren't joking. "Guys?"

"Hey guys, what's..." Flynn began, as he came over, before giving Summer a goofy little grin, pointing at her. "Summer, you're really pretty..."

With that, he collapsed on the floor with them. Gemma rushed over.

"What's going on?" Summer asked. "What happened to them?"

In the lab, Dr. K was analysing the chemical the Rangers had found, checking her results.

"This appears to be a chromosomal specific neurotoxin." She commented. "It looks like the intention was to poison us, I just haven't figured out..."

"Dr. K, what's this?" Ziggy asked, looking at a programme running on the computer.

"Don't touch that Ziggy, it isn't a chow line." She snapped dismissively. Tenaya gave her a little cold glare. She hated it when anyone looked down on him. "It's a possible solution to our current staffing situation."

"Dr. K, the guys all just collapsed!" Summer called out as they entered the lab. "They're all unconscious, we can't wake them!"

Ziggy ran to the door where he could see them lying on the floor. The communications relay suddenly burst into life.

"Dr. K, every man in the city is asleep!" Vasquez rushed out in a panic. "Even the Colonel!"

"The chemical you found was a chromosomally specific neurotoxin." Dr. K told the Rangers. "It was gender specific to the XX chromosome."

"Gender specific for girls." Summer commented. "So it looks like the other was geared towards men."

"Well not all the men in the city are unconscious." Ziggy reminded them, putting his arm around Tenaya with a look of pride on his face. "Luckily you managed to pick a physically toned specimen..."

"Either that or you're really a girl." Gemma commented.

"Actually it's likely because this lab has its own air supply." Dr. K told them. "Of course once you opened the door, the seal was broken, so I imagine Ziggy will be feeling the effects..."

There was a thud as Ziggy suddenly fell to the floor, landing in a heap. Tenaya looked down on him, gently slapping him to try and bring him around unsuccessfully.

"That would make all of them." Summer commented. "At least they didn't get that other toxin into the air supply."

"Dr. K what are we going to do?" Vasquez yelled, reminding them of her predicament. "Every man in the command centre is out cold. I'm the only one here!"

Dr. K, Gemma and Tenaya all looked to Summer. They didn't want to ask her to take such a position of responsibility, not in her current condition, but she was the second-in-command. It was her duty to take command when Scott was compromised.

"Calm down Vasquez, I'll be there in a while." Summer assured her.

"Do you think she'll hold it together?" Gemma asked, watching her on the screen attending to the guys.

"Zero probability." Dr. K replied. "I'll start working on an antidote."

"I'll check on Vasquez." Summer told them. "Something tells me that it won't be long before there's another attack."

"I just have a little work left on the upgrade." Gemma informed them. "I'll get it ready."

"What am I meant to do?" Tenaya asked them.

"Stand ready to fight." Dr. K told her. "We might need every pair of hands we can get if that attack bot comes back."

Summer arrived in the Central Command building, finding Vasquez clearing the unconscious bodies of the men to the edge of the room to clear some space. Summer came in time to help her with Hicks.

"Vasquez, we need you to keep the command centre safe." She told her. "If the shields go down we're done for. We're already outnumbered."

"You're not going to leave me here!" She shrieked.

"I'm needed to protect the city." Summer reminded her. "You're in charge."

"Summer, I'm a computer tech." Vasquez reminded her. "I haven't had any combat training since I left the academy; I'm not ready to be in charge!"

"I've known Colonel Truman a long time; I know how cautious he is." Summer told her. "He wouldn't have anyone in the command centre that he couldn't rely on to take the reins if they needed to. Have faith in yourself."

"So what are we going to do?" Vasquez asked her. Summer looked at the climate control system and smiled.

"I think I have an idea." She replied.

Meanwhile, back at the Garage, Gemma ran back into the lab, carrying the Road Attack Zord.

"I've completed the upgrade." She told her. "However, it's only configured to Scott's engine cell."

"Well we better hope I can get an antidote ready before we need it." Dr. K commented. "I think I may have a sample ready, but it only has a 52 percent chance of working."

"Then who do we test it on?" Gemma asked. Tenaya took it off Dr. K and approached Ziggy. Normally Dr. K would have objected, but she figured that if one of them was to act as the guinea pig, then she'd prefer it to be Ziggy than one of the others.

Tenaya knelt next to her boyfriend, looking down longingly at him and stroked his hair gently.

"I really hope this works." She stated, before spraying it into his face. Dr. K and Gemma knelt down with her, beginning to check his vitals as he appeared to come to.

"I just had a wonderful dream." He mumbled dreamily as he took Tenaya's hand, looking into her face with a huge grin. "I dreamt we spent the night together."

With that, he slumped to the floor and lost consciousness once more.

"That sounds like a nightmare." She responded coldly. "I will never understand the attraction you feel."

As she got up to return to her work station, Gemma looked up to see that Tenaya was bright red in embarrassment. She knew Ziggy wasn't in his right state of mind, or he would never have said anything. He never would have discussed their personal business in front of the others. Of course Tenaya's reaction gave away the fact he hadn't been lying.

Gemma came over to Tenaya's side and held her, comforting her.

"What he said, it wasn't a dream was it?" Gemma asked her. Tenaya shook her head gently.

"I suppose you're going to make fun of us too?" Tenaya asked her weakly. Before she could answer, Summer arrived back in the lab.

"Did you have any luck?" Summer asked them.

"Luck is an abstract concept which takes no account of skill." Dr. K replied. "But since you ask, no."

Summer rolled her eyes as the alarm sounded, turning back to the monitors.

"Well it looks like we're all running out of luck." Summer complained. "That walking pile of straws is back."

"I'll stay here and help as much as I can." Dr. K told them. "You need to get out there and slow them up as much as possible until I can get the antidote to work."

"It looks like we're going to be outnumbered." Summer commented, grabbing the keys to Dillon's car. "I hope you're ready for a fight Gemma."

"Always." She replied getting into the passenger seat as Summer gunned the engine, racing out of the garage at incredible speed, leaving Tenaya to watch them go.


	19. A WakeUp Call

Summer and Gemma arrived to find a legion of Grinders, accompanied by the attack bot they had seen earlier. Gemma nudged Summer and pointed to the bottles around its waist, pointing out the fact that one bottle was missing, while another was empty.

"I guess we can safely say this is the attack bot that spread the toxin." Summer commented.

"We're seriously outnumbered here." Gemma said, with the look on her face that always unnerved Summer slightly. The combination of nervousness at facing huge odds, while also being excited, enthusiastically looking forward to another fierce and brutal battle. It was that slightly childish, borderline psychotic mentality that was hard to get used to about the twins. It made them powerful warriors in battle, but at the same time left them a little hard to predict.

"Vasquez, are you ready?" Summer asked her. In the Central Command Building, Vasquez was furiously working at preparing the plan Summer had come up with.

"Not yet, I need a little time to over-ride the safety protocols." She informed them. Summer just rolled her eyes, aware that even if she was a hundred percent, facing this battle was far from fair. She doubted they could win if the battle went on too long before the plan was put into action.

"I guess we fight then." Summer stated. "Ready?"

"RPM, Get in Gear!" She called out together, morphing in preparation for the battle ahead.

Back in the lab, Dr. K was still working hard on the antidote. Tenaya was pacing impatiently as she watched the battle between the remaining Rangers and the forces of Venjix. She chewed her fingernails as she watched them struggling with seemingly impossible odds.

"Vasquez, are you nearly ready?" Summer grunted over the communications link as one of the Grinders landed a lucky kick to her chest. Even with the suits protective energies, her injuries made every blow take a lot more out of her than it normally would.

"Summer, I'm working as fast as I can!" She shrieked back, becoming a little flustered under the strain of having Corinth's future in her hands. "I can't go any faster!"

"Well if you don't, there isn't going to be anything left!" Summer snapped back as she was dashed to the ground. She struggled there for a second, before Gemma came to her side, protecting her from an attack and helped her to her feet. "How's your suit doing? I'm at 72 percent."

"I'm at 68 percent." Gemma replied.

Tenaya turned from the screen, making her way to Dr. K's side and grabbed the back of her chair.

"Dr. K, they're getting killed out there!" She protested. "Is the antidote ready?"

"It's at 72 percent." Dr. K told her. "It's not enough, not yet."

"What about the other project?" Tenaya asked her. "How's the upload..."

"It isn't ready, it's only 92 percent complete." She told the cyborg. "I'm sorry but..."

"It's too late to worry about being cautious." Tenaya interrupted her, going over to a console and tearing it open with her enhanced strength, removing something from it. "I'm going out there."

"Tenaya, it isn't finished..."

"If I don't get out there, Summer and Gemma will be." She replied. "I checked the energy readings, and I saw that there's another attack bot in the area. His energy signature is familiar, I believe I know who it is. I just pray that I'm wrong."

She turned and started to sprint away, Dr. K called after her.

"The security hasn't been..."

"I've got it covered!" Tenaya responded.

Back at the scene of the battle, Sumer and Gemma were beginning to find themselves under pressure as the Grinders began to overwhelm them. The Chemical Bot sucked up another bottle of liquid, before spraying it at them, causing both of them to collapse in a shower of sparks. Summer's energy alert sounded in her helmet, and the screen display showed a severe energy warning.

"Gemma, how's your suit?" She asked as she tried to find the will to carry on.

"I'm down to 21 percent." The Silver Ranger informed her. "What about you?"

"I'm down to the last 18." Summer informed her. "We can't take much more of this. One more hit like that and we're finished."

"Vasquez..."

"I'm still working on it!" She screamed. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

A blast sent the Grinders and the Chemical Bot staggering, heralding Tenaya's arrival. Gemma and Summer looked up to see her recalling her blaster function.

"I got here as quickly as I could." She told them, stepping between them and Venjix's goons. "I'm here to help you buy the time Vasquez needs."

"Tenaya, even with your help..."

"I brought a little artillery." Tenaya told them, pulling up her sleeve. Summer's mouth hung open as she saw the Series Black morpher on her wrist.

"I hope this works." Tenaya said, though she spoke in Dillon's voice, using the voice alteration function Venjix had implanted in her so long ago. "RPM, Get in Gear!"

With a bright flash of energy, and the distinctive energy run off in the form of an explosion, the morpher was activated. As the smoke and flames cleared, Summer and Gemma saw her standing before them, as the new Black Ranger.

"Vasquez, how much longer do you need?" Tenaya asked her over the communicator.

"I need about two more minutes." She replied. Tenaya looked at the remaining Grinders and the Chemical Bot and smiled.

"Not a problem." She assured her. "Come on, let's show them what the girl Rangers can do!"

Summer and Gemma got back to their feet and threw themselves into battle with the strength they had left, reinforced with the strength of the new arrival.

Back in the Central Command building, Vasquez finally cracked the safety protocols on the climate control system, allowing her access to the full range of programmes without safety restrictions. She immediately went to the wind controls, activating the North and South winds, and beginning to increase them both.

"I've done it." She told them. "Beginning Operation City Storm. Hang onto something."

Summer grabbed onto the body work of Dillon's car, the closest thing she could to holding him in the circumstances. Every inch of her hurt, and her strength was failing quickly, but she needed to hold onto a piece of him, it was the only thing that would give her the strength she needed.

Gemma grabbed a street light, bracing herself as the winds picked up into a vicious hurricane, holding it with all of her strength. Tenaya rammed her hands into the tarmac, creating handholds and gripped tightly. Before long, the winds picked up to the point that anything which wasn't bolted down was being thrown through the air. Pretty soon, Grinders were flying through the air, being smashed into oblivion against walls, cars and each other as parts flew through the air.

The hood of Dillon's car was torn off, and flew through the air, out of view. Summer felt her strength beginning to fail and she started to slip. Eventually, she couldn't hold on any longer and was thrown through the air. Seeing this, Tenaya caught her, holding her limp, weak body tightly.

"It's alright Summer, I have you!" She told her.

From his vantage point, Kilobyte watched the battle with interest, stroking his chin as he considered the events unfolding.

"These humans are inventive." He said in a tone that betrayed the fact he was, if anything, slightly impressed. "Even hopelessly outnumbered they find a way to fight."

He saw the Chemical Bot struggling to hold onto his anchor point, and knew it wouldn't be long. He pulled out a blaster rifle.

"Now that they've been suitably softened up, it should be a small matter for the Chemical Bot to destroy them."

Taking aim, he fired, scoring a telling hit against the Central Command tower. Vasquez shrieked and cowered away a little as sparks flew. Alarms sounded, and she saw the screens flickering.

"The climate controls are off-line." She told the Rangers. They all slumped back to the ground as the winds finally died down. Tenaya helped Summer back to her feet, before confronting the Chemical Bot.

"It looks like we have one thing left to take care of." Gemma commented as they faced off against it.

"I just hope Dr. K hurries up and finishes that antidote." Summer muttered, checking her display. Her suit's final warning flashed up, before she collapsed on the ground, de-morphing.

"Summer!" Gemma shrieked, standing over her fallen friend. Summer lay in a tight ball on the ground, and looked up at Gemma, a tear running down her face.

"I failed." She whispered regretfully. "I'm sorry."

With that, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she passed out. Gemma let her head down slowly, before re-joining Tenaya facing the attack bot.

"I guess the two of us will have to be enough." Tenaya told her. "Bring it on!"

Back in the lab, Dr. K followed the battle as she put the finishing touches on the antidote. When the readout on the screen hit 100 percent, she snatched it out, beginning to spray the Rangers with it. They slowly started to stir and come to. She knelt directly in front of Scott, smiling as he came around. He looked up at her.

"What happened?" He asked her.

"I don't have time to tell you, the others will not last long enough." She told him. "I've already downloaded their co-ordinates to your morphers. They need your help, Summer is already incapacitated, and Gemma doesn't have long left."

"Where's Tenaya?" Ziggy asked wearily as he looked around. He suddenly got a horrifying thought, remembering something about waking up earlier, seeing Tenaya in front of him. "Did I...?"

"There isn't time Ziggy." Scott told him. "Come on guys, let's go, you heard the doc, the ladies need our help."

Back at the scene of the battle, Gemma and Tenaya were blown to the ground by an explosion as the battle continued. Tenaya looked to Gemma.

"Protect Summer!" She instructed her. "Your suit can't have much power left. We need to use it to protect her."

"Tenaya look out!" Gemma shrieked as an energy blast hit her in the back. Tenaya looked around, seeing Kilobyte a little way off, wielding the offending blaster rifle. Her heart went cold as she saw him. She had heard of him by reputation when she worked for Venjix, and knew him to be powerful and ruthless. She watched as he levelled the blaster at her again, powering up her invincibility shield. The power of the blast still knocked her back off her feet.

"I'll need a little more practice with that." She grumbled as she watched him turn and leave. "My suit's almost had it."

As the Chemical Bot prepared to finish them off, they were saved by the timely arrival of the Road-Attack Zord. It blurred into it, before preparing itself for the final attack.

"You managed to do well against half the team." Scott told the attack bot as he prepared to unleash the attack. The Road Attack Zord began to rev up its attack. "Let's see how you do against a well rested team."

He punched it, sending it forth, destroying the Chemical Bot. Scott rushed to Summer's side, holding her limp, unconscious body upright.

"Summer!" He called out, recalling his helmet. "Summer, speak to me!"

Her head just rolled and hung limply. Just then, the Chemical Bot returned at massive size.

"Great, that's just what we need." Scott commented. "Summer's in no condition to stand up on her own, never mind pilot her zord."

"We do have two others that still function." Tenaya reminded him. "The Valvemax and Mach Megazords use the Black and Silver zords. Gemma and I still have some power left."

"Ten, you've never piloted a zord before." Scott reminded her.

"I've also never morphed before." She answered. "Right now, I'd say you don't have much of a choice."

"She has a point." Flynn told him. "We can get Summer back to get treatment."

Scott picked her up in his arms, but could feel no resistance at all in her body. She was completely out, and didn't look like she was coming to any time soon. He knew they were right, she couldn't help them in the fight, and keeping her here only placed her in danger needlessly.

"Flynn and I will take her to the Garage." He told them. "All of you, take care of this guy quick!"

"Ready for your first zord battle?" Ziggy asked his girlfriend, taking her hand in his. She nodded nervously. "Just take my lead and you'll be fine. You'll be great, I know it."

As they prepared to summon the zords, and Scott and Flynn drove away to get Summer to safety, Ziggy couldn't help leaning back to get a little peak at Tenaya's form-fitting bodysuit. He had to admit, she did look good in the nano-fibre.

"Mach Megazord!" The twins yelled as they formed together with the Whale Zord.

"Valvemax Megazord!" Ziggy called out, before realising he had done so alone. "Uh, Tenaya, you're meant to call out the name of the megazord."

"Why?" She asked him. Ziggy tried to answer, but found that he couldn't. He genuinely didn't know.

"I'll ask Dr. K later." He replied. "In the meantime, let's not let the twins have all the fun."

"Final Strike!" Ziggy and Tenaya called out at they charged up their megazord's ultimate attack.

"Energy Bow!" Gem and Gemma added as they supplemented the blast with their power arrow. The Chemical Bot pitched forward, before exploding, utterly destroyed.

Tenaya and Ziggy arrived back in the Garage, finding Summer, having finally come to, sitting on the couch while Dr. K checked over her. Scott and Flynn looked up at her with smiles on their faces.

"You did pretty good for your first time out lass." Flynn complimented her. "You really pulled us out of that one."

"What can I say, I'm impressed." Scott stated. "I had no idea you had it in you."

"I did." Ziggy replied, taking her hand in his, turning to face her. "I always knew she had it in her to be good."

Tenaya let her hair fall forward a little in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, but she felt her chest swell with pride. Not only had she helped to save her friends, the people she cared about, but they had accepted her as one of them. Summer nodded her head, flashing a quick smile at her.

"Good Job." She said quickly, before turning back to Dr. K to have more tests done. They were interrupted as Gem and Gemma arrived in Dillon's car, skidding to a halt. Gem leaped out of the driver's side, bouncing around with an enormous grin on his face.

"This car is awesome!" He yelled, struggling to contain himself. "Dillon's got a really cool car here!"

"What's that?" Scott asked, pointing to a piece of crumpled metal strapped to the roof. Gemma giggled.

"It's the hood." She answered. "What's left of it at least. We found it lodged in the side of a bus stop."

"We decided to bring it back to be fixed." Gem concluded. Scott and Flynn just looked at each other and laughed, glad that Summer hadn't stolen one of their cars for the mission instead.

"It'll take a while, but I'll see what I can do." Flynn finally managed to say.

"The thing I don't get is how did you morph?" Scott asked. "I mean the morphers are bonded to our DNA."

"When I knew that Dillon would be out of action for the foreseeable future, I started work on adjusting his morpher." Dr. K informed them. "While their DNA isn't identical, I surmised that Tenaya's DNA would be close enough to her brother's to bypass the genetic safety lock with a little adjustment on my part."

"The upload wasn't complete, but it was enough for my DNA to be accepted." Tenaya told them. She then switched her voice to Dillon's. "But until Dr. K could complete the download, I had to rely on Venjix's technology to bypass the voice recognition system."

"OK, please don't do that again." Ziggy pleaded with her, noticably shuddering as he heard her speaking in Dillon's voice.

"I knew we would still need Dillon's arsenal, so I started work on adapting it for a repl..." Dr. K's words tailed off as she noticed Summer looking at the floor. "...temporary substitute. Until further notice, Tenaya has agreed to be the new Ranger Operator Series Black."

"Well it couldn't have come at a more welcome time." Flynn stated, shaking her hand. Everyone in the team came over to greet her and congratulate her on helping them through the battle, all except Summer. She just held the key to Dillon's watch in her hand and turned from them all, muttering something about needing rest and walked away. They were all too busy getting the details from Tenaya and Gemma about the battle though.

She made her way into the room holding Dillon's stasis pod, and pulled a chair up alongside it, before loking down into it, gazing longingly at the man she loved. As she reached out, stroking the glass tenderly, she couldn't hold in her tears any longer. She slumped down onto the glass, burying her face in her folded arms and wept.


	20. Election Day

Out in the wastes, Marcus finally arrived back at the camp, finding the rebels going about their daily duties. He approached one of the sentries, identifying himself as he entered the camp. Seeing his torn, scorched clothing and multiple injuries, he was immediately joined by several troops, offering him medical assistance.

"Are you alright General Truman?" One of them asked him. "We didn't know where you had gone. Where's Lieutenant Scarlett?"

Marcus reached into the makeshift bag he had made from his jacket and pulled out her head, handing it to the soldier.

"She was an infiltrator." He informed them, taking a place on a large rock so he could be seen to make an announcement. "I was fooled by an infiltrator, and in doing so have put the safety of the camp and all of your lives in danger. I can no longer trust my judgement to keep you safe."

"Sir, what are you saying?" One of them asked him. Marcus handed him a map, on which he had marked the co-ordinates of Corinth City.

"There is no way to ensure your safety out here." He told them. "If there are more infiltrators, there's no way we can ensure we aren't betrayed. I want you all to go to Corinth."

There was a murmur of surprise from the assembled rebels. Marcus had always been so strong, so determined to fight, that it was just bizarre to hear him talking about simply packing up and leaving.

"Sir, what about Venjix?" One of his officers yelled, raising a reaction from the others. "Are you saying we just give up?"

"I will never give up!" Marcus yelled back. "However, I can no longer be responsible for the safety of others. It serves only to put you in danger and distract myself from my objective to eradicate Venjix from the face of the earth."

He came over to his officer and placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling.

"We've been fighting together a long time my friend, we've entrusted our lives to each other more times than I can count, but it is time these people got to safety." He told him. "I'll escort you all to Corinth, and then I'm going to continue this war on my own."

"Sir, you've trained every one of us here to fight." He told him. "You taught us everything we know. You can't expect us to just give up and stop fighting!"

"If you still want to fight, report to the military base and sign up." Marcus instructed them. "The citizens could use every person they can get. They would be lucky to have any one of you."

He smiled at the man, patting his shoulder gently.

"You owe it to your wife and children to have a better life than this. Corinth can offer you that, I can't. Go there and give them a good life my friend." He concluded. "I order you."

The officer nodded in understanding before turning to the others.

"Gather up everything you can carry, priority to weapons, ammo and provisions. We move out in 30 minutes!"

Back in Corinth, morning had broken, and the city was still incredibly quiet. Dr. K had dispatched Gem, Gemma and Ziggy to put the antidote into the air circulation system to revive all of the men in the city.

As Gem pulled out the inlet tube and prepared to begin, Ziggy stopped him.

"You know Gem; you might want to leave it a little while." He suggested. "After all, with all the men asleep, this city is just swarming with chicks! It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel, maybe we could find you a girl."

Gem and Gemma just looked at each other for a second, before shaking their heads and laughing. Ziggy looked at them a little curiously.

"What are you laughing about?" He asked them. "I was just kidding..."

"Well I know you wouldn't need the other men in the dome to be asleep to get your girl." Gemma teased him, nudging him gently with her elbow as Gem poured the antidote into the inlet.

"What are you talking....?" Ziggy paused as he remembered a fuzzy image of Tenaya, and telling her about his dream. His eyes shot open wide as he realised that had actually happened. He could also remember that Gemma and Dr. K were there. "...Oh my God, I didn't..."

"You did." Gemma giggled. "You were pretty out of it, but you told us. Well, more accurately you mentioned your 'dream' to Ten. Dr. K and I just happened to be there. Tenaya's reaction kind of tipped me off that it wasn't a dream."

"Oh I am in such deep shit!" He rushed out in a panic. "I can't believe I said that, she must have been so embarrassed."

"Hey, it's kind of cute." Gemma told him. "For what it's worth, Dr. K didn't seem to take it seriously."

"I can't believe I embarrassed her like that, oh God I..."

"Its fine Ziggy, she knew you didn't mean anything by it." Gem assured him.

"Besides, when I talked to her, she seemed OK." Gemma assured him. "Given the way she was acting last night, I'd say she's probably happy this has happened.

"I can't believe it did." Ziggy told them with a huge smile on his face. "I know we've been together for a while, but I still can't believe how lucky I am to have her. She means the world to me."

"Well I'm glad you're happy." Gemma told him, hugging the Green Ranger. "Besides, it could have been worse."

"How?" Ziggy asked her. "What could have been worse than that?" Gem just smiled and clamped a hand down hard on his shoulder as they walked away.

"Dillon could have found out." He replied. Ziggy just sighed and shook his head. Thinking about it, things could definitely have been worse.

Within the hour, all of Corinth's men had regained consciousness, and things were slowly getting ready for business as usual to resume. At the hospital, one of the nurses checked over all the patients to ensure the enforced sleep hadn't caused any problems.

When they came to Fresno Bob's room, Benny was already beginning to panic. The doctors rushed in carrying equipment and immediately started getting to work on him.

"What's happening?" Benny called out as they checked on the aging mobster's vitals. "Is he alright?

"We can stabilise him for now, but the toxin appears to have substantially weakened his vitals." The doctor told him. "We're doing everything we can, but right now it's all just a stall. Without that donor, there's no way he'll have the strength to recover."

Benny just slowly walked outside, his head hung low, barely able to breathe. He had known Fresno Bob for a long time, most of his adult life in fact. He had always been so strong; he never could have seen him going out like this, looking so frail, so weak. He knew what Fresno Bob was capable of, and hated much of the brutality of the darker side of his nature, but he also knew a lot about him that others didn't see. He had seen Bob show mercy, and kindness far beyond what anyone had ever known he was capable of. He had been his closest and dearest friend for so long; he couldn't bear to watch him slipping slowly away.

He went to the hospital chapel, and made his way down to the altar, and knelt there, resting his elbows on the plinth, his hands clasped in front of him, and for the first time in years, he prayed.

Despite the chaos caused by Corinth losing most of a day, the citizens were quickly rushed back into routine to keep them organised. The most important decision that had been made was to announce over the public announce system that the election was still going ahead, and reminding people to attend their polling station at some point during the day. Mr Winchester had protested loudly, demanding that the voting be held back, and saying that people had to recover from the chaos, but his protests fell on deaf ears. Colonel Truman knew that he was simply annoyed that he hadn't had a chance to hold his rally the night before the election. He had no doubt that Winchester was likely to try and buy votes there, throwing money around in an attempt to win the race at the last minute. Of course, now that the race had been running fairly since Dr. K had threatened him, it was a lot closer and more difficult to call.

Chas and Brie were at the Central Command building, the largest and most central of the civic buildings used as a voting station, to observe events. Since, for obvious reasons, he wasn't allowed to be on the floor of the building, he had been invited up to the control centre, where the men were busy sorting out repairs to the climate control system, overseeing the voting stations, and generally co-ordinating efforts to return Corinth to normal. There was a lot of cleaning to be done after "Operation City Storm", and so man power was stretched thin. Many citizens had volunteered their services, and even the Cartels had gone into hiding, calling a ceasefire while the cleaning efforts took place, though this was more out of a sense of them wanting there to be a city left to claim once the gang war was over than any genuine sense of civic duty.

Vasquez arrived in the command room, finding Colonel Truman directing things. Hicks was in the field, directing the activities of the troops in the city.

"So the heroine graces us with her presence." Colonel Truman said with a smile, gesturing to Vasquez. She felt her face becoming warmer as everyone in the room turned to see her. She came over to the Colonel nervously.

"You said you wanted to see me sir." She reminded him. Colonel Truman nodded in response as he turned her towards all the men working hard on repairs.

"I'd like all of your attention please!" He announced, rousing their attention. They all stopped what they were doing to look at the Colonel, and of course Vasquez, who was by now, becoming a little uncomfortable and shrinking into him, as though hoping to find some way to hide from all this attention. "Gentlemen, I would like to commend our senior technical officer Vasquez, for her cool head and her courage in what was an exceedingly trying and difficult situation."

Everyone in the command room, including Chas and Brie all applauded as She just waved back, accepting the praise with humility.

"It was nothing, I really wasn't that brave. I was really freaking out." She told him. "It was Summer that held me together and came up with the plan and..."

"Vasquez, you would never have been chosen to enter the command room if I didn't have complete faith in you." Colonel Truman assured her. "I would trust the safety of the city to any one of the staff in the command room. You don't give yourself enough credit."

"Thank you sir." She managed to force out. "Can I get back to work now?"

"Of course you can." He replied. "Thanks for everything."

She just went back to her work station and grabbed a toolkit, beginning to help with the repairs. Chas came over to the Colonel, and smiled as he watched her work.

"That's a real hero isn't it?" He asked him hypothetically. "Yesterday she pretty much saves the entire dome, and then next, she just goes back to work like she never did anything."

"She'd make an amazing officer if she just had a little confidence and didn't just let everyone else take the lead." Truman stated flatly. "She's been working in the tech field too long, she doesn't see that she's a soldier too, she hasn't really been in any combat situations other than the Gates fiasco."

"Well I remember she handled herself pretty well then." Chas replied, involuntarily stroking the side of his face, which had been extensively scarred in the battle. With so many officers injured, she had been, for a short time, the highest ranking officer in the field. She might have only been in charge for a short time, but she had handled the role admirably. "Are you thinking of promoting her?"

"That's really all down to her." He answered. "She doesn't really have anywhere to advance to as a technician. I'd really like her to consider officer training, but she just doesn't have much confidence. I'm not sure she'd accept."

"Well I think we'd all benefit if she did." Chas replied. "We need every good person we can get."

Dr. K and the Rangers, all except Summer and Tenaya, had gone to the Central Command building to register their votes. Summer hadn't really been in the mood to do much of anything following the battle, and the others thought it best to just let her rest up and recover. Tenaya on the other hand, couldn't really vote anyway.

Voting was done by a simple electronic console, where the voter would simply press the button for the candidate of their choice, though to ensure there was no cheating by having anyone vote more than once, the button carried the fingerprint and DNA of the voter onto a register. Between that and the fact the guards were naturally jumpy anyway given the seriousness of the previous day's security breach; everyone would be getting scanned for Venjix technology. Either way, she couldn't vote without giving away her identity. She had opted instead to simply stay behind and train on the automated system Dr. K had set up for her. She knew she'd have to master the invincibility shield, and wanted to work on that to prevent any further failures like the one she had in battle the previous day.

Dr. K was waiting in a queue with Scott, looking around at the throng of people. She was still highly uncomfortable around crowds. Scott noticed this and put his arm around her protectively. Dr. K felt a little smile crossing her face as he did this.

"There are a lot of people here." He commented. "It looks like a good turnout for the vote."

"Presuming it goes the right way of course." Dr. K stated. "I don't think I'd like four years of Charles Winchester the Second running things in Corinth."

"Well all we can do is cast our own vote and hope for the best." Scott reminded her. "It's just a good thing Winchester didn't hold that gala last night. I was sure that would swing things in his favour."

"Yes, well it took me a long time to make enough antidote to spread through the air circulation system to revive everyone." She told him. "By the time I manufactured enough, it was too late for the party."

"It's interesting how that worked out." He commented. "It seems like pretty...convenient timing."

"I have absolutely no idea what you mean." She replied in a sarcastic tone, flashing him a slightly wicked grin. Scott just laughed and held her closely.

"Scott, um...you know what we were talking about at the wedding?" She asked him.

"You mean about Fresno Bob?" He asked her. She nodded gently.

"I still don't know what to do." She told him. "I know he's weak, but we were told he might not even need the transfusion, and I don't want to break his confidence."

"Dr. K, I know how big a can of worms this could open. Ziggy's gone through life longing for a family. I don't know what it'll do to him when he finds out, but it's the best way to ensure he'll survive."

Dr. K noticed one of the other people in the queue reading a newspaper as he waited, and turned cold as she saw the headline.

"Robert Taylor Close to Death."

She snatched it from him, reading through the article. Scott appeased the unhappy citizen as she read the article. Her eyes were wide and her skin seemed to grow even paler. She handed back the paper wordlessly as Scott held her.

"What did it say?" He asked her. "Dr. K?"

"His condition has gotten even more critical." She told him. "It seems the toxin had an adverse affect on his already weakened condition. If he doesn't get that transfusion, he will die."

"Dr. K, you don't have a choice. You have to tell Ziggy!" He implored her. "It's the only chance he has!"

Dr. K nodded in agreement as they were called to the polling booths. She knew he was right, as much as it was going to hurt, Ziggy needed to know the truth.

Summer rose from her vigil by Dillon's stasis pod once her hunger finally got too much to just ignore. She straightened out her hair as much as she could, before pulling on her jacket and heading through the door.

As she stepped into the lab on her way to the kitchen, she heard a small scream, before Tenaya was hurled through the air, slamming into the wall a little way from her.

"Cease fire!" She called out, activating the safety system and disabling the laser cannons. She pulled herself upright, recalling her helmet.

"Summer, I didn't notice you." She stated. "I guess I was too busy getting used to the invincibility shield." Summer flashed a quick smile, before wrapping her arms around herself.

"Dillon had a little trouble with it at first too." She told her quietly, remembering his early days as a Ranger.

"I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, I just hope I get up to speed soon." Tenaya responded. "I'd hate to hold the team back."

Summer just gave a curt nod, before turning from her. She had to admit being impressed with how seriously Tenaya was taking her new position, but it didn't stop it hurting that she was currently replacing Dillon.

"Hey, maybe you and I can train together later?" Tenaya suggested. Summer just turned back to her and shook her head.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." She replied gently. "I'm... I really don't feel like it."

"Come on, I won't hurt you." Tenaya continued. "I just want to test my shield ability. Your energy blasts should be a good test against a real opponent. These cannons are good, but they are machines. They attack in patterns, so I end up able to predict them."

"I'm not really into it." Summer told her. "Maybe some other time."

"I might just hold you to that." Tenaya replied as she re-morphed. "In the meantime, I guess its back to this. Resume Programme!"

Summer walked out of the room as cannons began descending from the ceiling, taking pot shots at Tenaya. As she arrived in the kitchen, Summer let out a sigh as she pulled out a Tupperware container and threw it into the microwave to heat up. Looking to the monitors, she patched into the feed, seeing Tenaya occasionally getting thrown by a blast, but generally holding her own against the cannons. As she watched, her hand tightened around the carton of milk she was holding so much that it exploded, raining its contents everywhere.


	21. Ziggy's Shock

Tenaya came into the main room after her training session, just as Ziggy came back into the Garage. He could see that she had been working hard. He crept up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she made her way to the kitchenette.

"It looks like you've had a rough day." He commented, kissing her cheek gently.

"Dr. K's laser cannons pack quite a kick." She told him. "I'll be fine."

She opened the fridge, but frowned as she saw that there was no milk. The carton was missing.

"It looks like I'm not having that shake." She grumbled. "I thought we had a full carton."

"I just bought milk yesterday." He replied. He gave a little shrug. We can pick up more milk in a little while."

Ziggy noticed that she wasn't really paying much attention and felt a little guilty. He hadn't really had much of a chance to talk to her since he had inadvertently blurted out the fact they had spent the night together. As she poured herself some juice, he grabbed her wrist gently.

"Tenaya, I want to talk to you." He told her. "It's about the other night."

She nodded gently and sighed, thinking about it. She didn't really want to talk about it. She was still completely confused and conflicted over what had happened. She loved Ziggy, what had happened between them seemed like the most natural thing in the world. After being Venjix's prisoner for as long as she could remember, she had no desire to ever allow anyone a measure of control over her. However, when Ziggy placed his hands on her shoulders and pressed her to the bed, she found herself with no wish to stop him.

Of course as much as she loved what they had shared together, she hated the fact the others knew. It was something that she wanted to be shared between her and Ziggy. The others regularly teased and belittled him. She knew that it was mostly good-natured ribbing, with no malice intended, but she still hated it when they called him names or made fun of him.

"Tenaya, I'm really sorry." He told her. She looked at him a little curiously.

"You didn't like it?" She asked him. She held her hands in his, looking into her eyes deeply.

"No, it isn't that. What happened was easily the most amazing experience of my life." He assured her, cupping her cheek with his hand. "I love you more than anything. I was just worried I had ruined it for us by...well..."

"Ziggy, I can't help being disappointed that the others found out." She told him. "What happened, it felt right. I really wanted it to stay something special between us."

"It was, it always will be." He assured her. "I'm sorry I blurted it out, I wish that hadn't happened. Please, forgive me."

He led her to the couch, sitting down with her and sighed, holding her hand gently.

"I'm a little new to all of this, I really didn't know what to feel or what to think, I was just so overwhelmed by it all." He admitted. "It was..."

"Ziggy, I understand." She assured him. "It was my first time too."

"I'm sorry I ruined it." He told her. She smiled at him, before running a hand through his hair softly.

"You couldn't have ruined it." She said softly. "It was with you that made it perfect."

She drew him in, kissing him passionately. At just that moment, Summer came into the room. She paused as she saw them together. As Tenaya turned into Ziggy, settling into his arms, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Tenaya noticed her and pulled Ziggy's arms more tightly around herself, smiling.

"Sorry to interrupt." She told them. "So you've voted?"

"Yup, one more vote for Chas." He told her. "There was a huge turnout. It looks like everyone in Corinth turned out."

"Well let's hope it turns out well." Summer mumbled as she made her way to the kitchenette.

"There's no milk." Tenaya told her as she reached for the coffee pot. "I checked a second ago."

"Yeah, that's my fault I'm afraid." Summer told her. "I spilled it earlier. I'll replace it later."

As she poured herself a cup of coffee and left the room, Tenaya watched her go, before looking up at Ziggy with a curious look on her face.

"Did she seem alright to you?" Tenaya asked him. "She's been pretty quiet lately."

"Can you blame her?" Ziggy asked in response. "She's been through a lot."

"I guess so." Tenaya commented. "I just wish there was more we could do for her."

"Summer knows we're all here for her." Ziggy replied. "She'll talk to us when she's ready."

Just then, Dr. K and Scott came back in. Dr. K looked to Scott for support.

"Hey, guys, what's happening?" Ziggy asked them.

"Ziggy, have you read the newspaper?" Scott asked him. Ziggy shook his head in response. Scott handed over a copy of the paper, allowing Ziggy to read it. His face drained of colour as he read it, realising that Fresno Bob's condition had gotten much worse.

"Is it hopeless?" Ziggy asked them. "I thought you said they couldn't find a donor."

"Ziggy, there might be a way. We think you might be able to help him." Dr. K told him. "I'm afraid I have something to tell you, something which may be hard to hear, but you must believe me."

"Tenaya could you give us a minute?" Scott asked her. Tenaya just held Ziggy's hand, refusing to leave him.

"I want to hear this." She told him.

"What's going on?" Ziggy asked them. "You think I can help him?"

"There is a chance you will be a viable donor." Dr. K told him. "I would need to take a sample, but there is a chance you are a match for his blood type."

"You think I might be a match?" He asked her. "Dr. K what are you trying to say?"

"Fresno Bob is your father." She blurted out. Ziggy just looked at her a like she was insane, and gave a small, weak laugh.

"Ziggy, it's true." Scott assured him. "Dr. K wouldn't make up something like this."

"No, it's not possible." Ziggy said, shaking his head. "I was abandoned; Fresno Bob took me in..."

"He gave you away to the orphanage shortly after you were born. He was worried that someone would hurt you as a way to get to him." She informed him, finding it hard to look at him. She had known about the true nature of their relationship for some time now, and she had kept her promise not to tell Ziggy. Now that she could see how upset he was getting, she could understand why Fresno Bob didn't want him to know. "When you were too old to stay at the orphanage, he brought you into the cartel where he could keep an eye on you."

"This is insane, it can't be true!" Ziggy screamed, rounding on her. "I don't believe you!"

"It's true Ziggy, Dr. K found a match on the genetic database." Scott told him, handing him a printout from the computer. "He's your father."

Ziggy held the paper in his fingers, looking at it in disgust, like it was contagious. Tenaya held him in her arms as he felt a horrible pain in his chest, like he was being slowly crushed. He had always longed to know who his family really were, but in getting what he wanted, his world, everything he thought was true was gone. The one man he thought had cared for him, looked after him had lied to him for as long as he knew him.

"It says here there's another person who shows a genetic match." Ziggy told her. "When did you find this? Why were you checking my DNA?"

"I wasn't checking your DNA, I was checking Chas'." She informed him. "It was when he was being accused of being an addict. I ran some blood tests to find out if anything was suspicious, and found a genetic link to Fresno Bob. That was how I got Mr. Winchester to stop printing libellous stories about him in the press. I blackmailed him, threatening to reveal that Chas isn't his son. He's the result of an affair Bob had with Mrs. Winchester."

"Fresno Bob's his father?" Ziggy asked her, standing up glaring at her intently. "Chas is my brother?"

"He didn't want you to know because it would upset you." Dr. K told him.

"Upset?" He shrieked. "I was upset when Flynn backed into my scooter; this is a million miles from upset!"

"Ziggy, I know this is a shock, but we have to get to the hospital." Scott reminded him. "Fresno Bob needs you..."

"Forget it!" Ziggy snapped.

"Ziggy, you can't..."

"Why the hell should I help him?" He yelled, throwing the paper aside. "He betrayed me! He abandoned me!"

"He..."

"He's my father and he abandoned me!" He interrupted Dr. K, his voice beginning to break with the strain. "I don't owe him a thing!"

With that, he turned and stormed away. Tenaya looked at Dr. K and Scott regretfully before following him. They knew it would hurt for him to know the truth, and his reaction was understandable. Now though, he needed time to himself to get over the shock.

Over at the Central Command building, Chas came into the main hall as the guards started closing down the voting booths. It would now only be a few minutes until the system finished tallying the votes and they would know who had won. Chas paced the stage nervously.

"Hey, could you settle down?" Brie asked him. "You're making me nervous."

"Sorry, I guess I'm just anxious." He replied regretfully. "I really just want this to be over."

"It will be soon enough." She reminded him. Just then, she noticed a commotion from the door as press started to take pictures and crowd around the door. She rolled her eyes as she saw her father-in-law.

"It looks like your dad's attracting attention as usual." She muttered. "Doesn't he know the polls are closed?"

"Dad always loved the press, even when he wasn't running for office." Chas reminded her. "To him this is fun."

"I see my opponent is here for the result too." Mr Winchester stated, coming over to Chas. "How are you?"

"You might know if you visited once in a while." Chas said a little coolly, refusing his hand. "Like my wedding for example?"

Mr. Winchester just turned back to the press, ignoring his comment. Colonel Truman came into the room, carrying handheld console.

"The results are in; the time is here to announce the new mayor of Corinth City." He began, looking out over the crowd. "Votes for Mr Charles Winchester the second, 189,473."

"Thank you one and all!" Mr. Winchester shouted, waving to the crowd and shaking a few hands. Colonel Truman smiled though as the final result came up.

"Votes for Chas Winchester the fourth, 189,628. Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that the new mayor of Corinth is Chas Winchester!" He declared happily. Brie shrieked happily as Chas picked her up in his arms, kissing her passionately. Mr Winchester just pushed his way through the crowd, storming from the command centre in a foul mood, while photographers and journalists tried to catch him for comment.

"I guess this means I'll be accepting your resignation." Colonel Truman stated, smiling at him. "I doubt you'll have much time for us now you're in office. Congratulations Chas."

"Thank you sir." Chas replied. "I can't believe I won."

"You'll do well, I'm sure of it." He assured him.

A little way from the Garage, Ziggy was sitting on a bench in a public park, watching the kids playing happily, running around and laughing with their parents. Tenaya found him and sat down beside him, patting his leg gently. He longed for a family so much growing up, that he often came here, or went to the orphanage when he was upset. She had already called Ms. Foster to see if he had gone there after storming off, and so she knew he was here.

"You had me worried." She told him. "I lost you over an hour ago."

"I'm a big boy." He replied quietly, thinking about the events of the day. "Of course my dad knows that already."

"Ziggy, I can't begin to imagine what you're going through." She said sympathetically.

"All I ever wanted was a family." He told her. "I used to think about them all the time, imagine that one day they'd come back and explain why they abandoned me. Now I find out I've known my dad for years. He just never bothered to tell me."

"I know you care about him a lot." She sighed, patting his leg gently.

"I just wish he cared half as much about me." Ziggy replied bitterly. "I used to talk to him about it all the time. I always used to talk to him about my childhood. He used to listen to me all the time; he knew how much it would have meant to me. It feels like he was laughing at me all that time."

"I'm sure he wasn't." She told him gently. "For what it's worth, I think he loved you a lot more than he was willing to admit."

"Then why wouldn't he give me the one thing he knew would have meant the world to me?" He asked her.

"He knew how upset you'd be about all of this." She told him. "But look at all he's done for you. He took you in when you needed a home. He assigned Benny, the man he trusts more than anyone in the world to protect you."

"He abandoned me..."

"I can't defend him; I don't know why he did it." She told him. "All I can tell you is what I do know, and that is that he risked his life to save his son."

"He stopped De Winter from killing Chas." Ziggy recalled.

"Ziggy, you have to save him." She told him. "If you don't..."

"I'll never get the answers from him." Ziggy interrupted her. She shook her head gently.

"No, I was going to say you'll never forgive yourself for letting him die." She corrected him. "That's not the man I fell in love with."

He turned back to the play park, watching as a young boy started crying, he had fallen and hurt his knee, but he was quickly joined by his father. He inspected the child's injury, setting his mind at ease that it wasn't serious as he soothed him. The little boy's cries died down to a small whimper as his father hugged him.

"I guess I owe it to him to give him a chance to explain." Ziggy told her. "I owe it to myself too."

"I'll be there with you." She told him, holding his hand. "No matter what happens, I'll be there for you."

"You don't know how much that means to me." He replied, smiling at her. He let her rest her head on his shoulder, holding her closely. "I love you."

"I love you too." She replied as she drew into him. "I love you too."

Back at the Garage, Summer was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to really motivate herself to do anything. All she really wanted was to have Dillon in her arms again. She missed him dreadfully, without him, things just seemed to matter less to her.

She picked up her cell phone, muttering under her breath as she realised it was yet another message from her parents. They had called and messaged her a few times since they had found out, checking up on her to make sure she was alright. She just opened the drawer on her bedside unit and threw the phone inside, slamming the drawer shut. She knew they only wanted to help, but she just couldn't put up with their sympathy. All she really wanted was for everyone to leave her alone. Of course that was something that never happened. With four girls and four other guys in such a small building, privacy was something of an issue. She was constantly tripping over Flynn's half-finished projects, or being disturbed by the twins training, or worst of all, walking in on Ziggy and Tenaya mauling each other in a sickening display of affection or another.

She felt her frustrations building a little as she thought about it. She knew that Ziggy and Tenaya were together, but it was all getting a little old. It seemed like they were super-glued to each other the way they were carrying on. If anything they were becoming more than a little more open and obvious in their displays of affection now that Dillon was in stasis. Ziggy would never have had the guts to manhandle her the way he did in the open while Dillon was around.

Tenaya also seemed to be constantly in her face. When she wasn't with Ziggy, making out with him like a drunken prom date, she was training and showing off her skills in training. While she was a powerful warrior, and she was indeed making impressive headway, it was almost like she was gloating.

She was breezing through her shield training far more quickly than the other Rangers got accustomed to their own suits special abilities. Summer knew that she would master the invincibility shield almost any day now, getting it under control faster than even her brother had accomplished it.

She was also constantly getting praise from the others. They would always talk about how she had saved Summer and Gemma, rubbing her face in the fact that she had almost failed in her duty as second in command, or how quickly she was finding her stride. Ziggy wouldn't shut up about how great it was she was stepping up to help them. Even Dr. K had almost called her Dillon's "replacement". It just felt like they had forgotten everything he had done for them, that he didn't even matter. It felt like she was steadily losing him, and the others didn't seem to care.

She got up from her bed as she felt her heart aching for something, anything that reminded her of Dillon. She couldn't help thinking about him hearing his voice, or thinking about the times he'd talk about the fragments of memories he had. The times he just stared at the watch and listen to the tune it played, she had heard it so many times that she had memorised it.

That was when she got a thought. She held the key on the chain around her neck as she thought about him, just as she had so many times. Tenaya had taken the watch from him just before they sealed him in the stasis pod. Summer made her way to Tenaya's bedside table and pulled open drawers, searching through the few meagre personal effects she had gathered in the time since she had come to the Ranger base, finding it. She took the key and put it into the hole in the side of the watch, beginning to turn it, but feeling no resistance. The key just spun uselessly in the mechanism. Tears of frustration formed in her eyes as she remembered the key Dillon had given her was the one they had found in the factory, the one that didn't do anything.

She went back to the dresser, rummaging through it again in search of the other key. Finally the frustration overtook her as she pulled the drawers out, throwing them and Tenaya's possessions around carelessly in her frantic search, before overturning it with a savage yell. She ran her hands through her hair, wringing it tightly just to feel anything as she tried to think, before coming to the conclusion that Tenaya had to have the other key with her. She sat on the edge of her bed, holding her head in her hands. The one thing she wanted, the only thing she was looking for to give herself some measure of respite from her loneliness, to feel anything of Dillon, and it seemed Tenaya had taken that too.


	22. New Problems

Marcus and the other rebels made their way over the last dune, finally coming into view of Corinth. Marcus allowed himself the luxury of a small smile as he thought about the fact that soon all those he had cared for and protected all this time would soon be in the dome safe and sound. While he had made good friends, brothers in arms among their number, and was not looking forward to wandering the wastes alone, he knew he had to do this. Having failed to realise that Scarlett was an infiltrator, he no longer trusted himself to keep them safe.

They made their way to one of the gates, which opened as they approached, and a dozen troops filed out to greet them. Clearly the scans had picked them up as they approached.

"This is going to take a while." One of the guards remarked, seeing the sheer number of refugees being brought to the gates. While refugees occasionally managed to make it to the city, usually the desert claimed most of them. It was unheard of for so many to be brought in at once. "There must be fifty people here! Where did they all come from?"

"I brought them." Marcus told them. The leading guard approached him slowly. "They were in my care."

"We'll process all of you as soon as possible." He informed him. Marcus just shook his head, not even bothering to remove his mask.

"My place is out here." He answered them. "Make sure they're taken care of."

"You're going back out there?" The guard asked incredulously. "Are you insane?"

"Probably." Marcus replied. One of the other guards was busy scanning the refugees when he hit a weak result. They all immediately reached for their weapons.

"One of these people has internal Venjix technology." He announced. The guard finally managed to pinpoint the signal. He pointed his weapon at Marcus. "It's him!"

Marcus threw the lead guard at them, scattering them before running. Guards had circled around behind him, cutting off his intended route back to the wastes. He turned and fled the one way open to him, into the city.

One of the guards managed to regain his footing, and fired off a volley, hitting him in the shoulder, but due to the implants, D46 was able to withstand the hit without breaking pace. One of the refugees smacked the rifle aside, allowing Marcus to escape without further attempts on his life.

He held his hands up in surrender as the guards rounded on him, covering him. They scanned him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The sergeant roared. "You let him escape! He's an infiltrator!"

"That was the man we owe our lives to!" He answered. "He's one of the ones trying to destroy Venjix!"

"This is the guard detail at gate 23, we have a breach." The soldier relayed over the radio. "An infiltrator just got into the city with the refugees."

Elsewhere in the city, Alexander De Winter was contemplating his next move as he looked out his humble provisions. Since he had escaped from prison, his means had been severely curtailed. While he always had some money lying around in hidden locations for such an eventuality, and so was not left with nothing, he had no access to his accounts, or his estate. It was a considerable fall from grace for the De Winter clan. The tradition of The Wraith, the clandestine assassin had provided them with vast wealth, meaning he had never been used to anything but the finest. Now he was reduced to renting a single-room apartment in an area of town that no one went to for fear of running into the Yo-yo brothers, or their operatives, and subsisting on a diet composed largely of cold beans and canned meat and fish.

Death held no fear of death, and so the fact that every soldier and gangster in Corinth was looking for him didn't concern him. Few would be a match for him, even if they did find him. Like every member of his family before him, he was trained in the deadly ways of the assassin. He had been The Wraith up until his daughter took up the mantle. Now though, she was dead, and with the death of his only child, and his identity known to the public, it was only a matter of time before the De Winter line died with him.

Chas was his primary target. He was the one who fired the shot that destroyed the legacy of The Wraith. He could still see clearly the lifeless form of his daughter on the floor as the soldiers crowded around her. He was determined to ensure that Chas would join her in death.

Of course the Rangers were also to blame. Were it not for their interference, his daughter would have succeeded in her assignment, not having to risk trying to take him out in such a secure location. He wanted to ensure they fell as well; of course he had no desire to tackle them without a plan. With their technology and weapons, a direct attack would be a futile and pointless endeavour.

He had acquired a computer, and was busy attempting to hack into the military database for all the information he could find on the Rangers. Almost all the files were classified, only information he could have accessed through "Dome Secrets" magazine was accessible here. He knew he needed to go deeper.

He found an interesting thing though; there were one or two mentions to a figure known only as "Dr. K". He knew, like most of Corinth, that she was the leader of Project Ranger, but beyond that no one knew anything about her. Most of the citizens didn't even know what she looked like, given her apparent habit of never showing her face in public. Only one or two pictures of her existed, though enough for him to confirm that she was at Chas' wedding.

"What are you hiding?" He asked himself as he delved deeper. He finally found the one thing he needed, one e-mail between Col. Truman and her that hadn't yet been deleted. He used that pathway to plant a Trojan in the system. It took a few minutes, but finally he found the gateway open.

He searched through all the files, looking for anything he could use against them, but one file stood out. It was the only one with an encryption so deep his system didn't penetrate it easily. It was entitled only "Alphabet Soup."

"I doubt you have a taste for a novelty children's treat." He commented to himself. "What is this?"

As he accessed it, he was blown away. He couldn't believe the hornet's nest of sensitive information of black ops projects he had found.

"Who would have thought it?" He asked aloud. "The saviour of Corinth is the woman who ended the world."

Just then, the worm found another file of interest. He accessed it, and got an evil smirk as he saw the information it contained.

"So it looks like once again the government has failed to throw away its garbage properly." He said in a whisper. "Perhaps this dumping ground is exactly what I need. After all, what could be so dangerous that even the legendary Dr. K is afraid to let it see the light of day?"

Ziggy and Tenaya arrived at the hospital, finding Benny sitting on a bench outside Fresno Bob's room. He looked like he hadn't slept, or even eaten in days. He looked up at Ziggy and smiled.

"It's good to see you little guy." He commented. He jerked his head in the direction of the door. "He's comfortable, but the doctors keep saying he won't wake up. I think he's just a little tired."

"It's fine Benny, I know how serious this is." Ziggy assured him. "I'm here to help."

Benny stood up, putting his hands on Ziggy's shoulders, unable to stop himself from crying any longer. Bob was easily the dearest friend he had ever known, and he couldn't imagine what he'd do if anything happened to him. He was the only one who had looked after him once his career as a fighter was over. When everyone else abandoned him, Fresno Bob made sure he would always be cared for.

"So you know." Benny said in a soft voice. Ziggy looked at him a little curiously.

"You mean you know?" Ziggy asked him. Benny just nodded.

"Your father and I are so close, he shared everything with me. You know what he can be like after a couple of drinks. I've seen him at his highest, and his lowest." Benny told him. "I was there on the day you were born. I've never seen him smile like that since."

"You knew?" Ziggy asked him. "I trusted you; you were my best friend..."

"Ziggy, I promise I will tell you anything and everything you want to know, I owe you so much more than that." He assured him. "Please, just do what you know you have to do."

"But..."

"No buts, he might not make it too much longer." Benny interrupted him. "Answers can wait, and I promise you'll get them."

He pulled Ziggy into a strong, almost painful hug.

"I never had kids, but I always loved you so much. It meant so much to me that Bob trusted me to look after you." He told him, pulling him back and looking into his eyes. "We're both so proud of the man you've become."

Ziggy just nodded without another word, before going to hail a doctor and tell him why he was there. Benny looked to Tenaya and smiled.

"You're lucky to have him." He told her. "He's easily the greatest man I'll ever know."

"I know I am." She replied sympathetically. "It's why I love him so much."

De Winter climbed the mountains, ignoring the discomfort he felt. He finally came to what he was looking for, an opening in the rock face.

"So this is what she's hiding." He said, beginning to make his way inside. There, he found Crunch and Shifter sifting through debris, looking for something. They looked up as he arrived.

"You are in the wrong place human." Shifter stated, hefting his weapon in his direction.

"If you do that you will lose the one thing you want." He told them. "You will lose the opportunity to destroy them all for good."

"But you're human!" Crunch stated, curious as to what he was getting at. "Why would you want...?"

"There is an interesting little genetic defect in my family." He interrupted him. "We are all psychopaths. The only thing I cared about was protecting the family business. I am 62 years old, and I only had one daughter. Now she is gone, what are the chances I'll have another child and raise her as the next Wraith?"

They both looked at each other a little confused by his statement.

"I no longer care if I survive. Without my legacy, what does it matter?" He asked them, before picking up a broken lap top computer. He smashed it over his knee, before fishing out the hard drive. "As long as those responsible die, the rest of this world can burn for all I care."

"I think Master Venjix would like you." Shifter commented. "Your cold-blooded nature...you're almost a machine."

"I'm so much more than that." Alex told him. "On this is the answer to your problem. If you want to destroy the Rangers, you only have to do one thing."

He drew closer to them, handing Shifter the hard drive. He accessed it, finding the files and realised what it was. "I'll broadcast that, and single-handedly destroy every ounce of faith this city has in their saviour Dr. K."

Tenaya and Ziggy arrived back in the Garage after he had given his transfusion. He was feeling a little woozy, largely because he had never been comfortable with needles. She handed him a packet of cookies from the kitchen counter.

"The doctor said to keep your sugar levels up." She reminded him.

"Thanks." He told her, taking them and bursting open the packet. For everything I mean, I'd probably have gone nuts if it wasn't for you."

"I'm glad I could help." She told him. "I understand..."

"I couldn't face it, not yet." He told her. "I gave him the blood, but I couldn't face it."

"I understand, I know all about living a lie." She told him softly. "I still don't know for a fact whether most of the memories I have are real or just put there by Venjix. It isn't important though, I know which ones matter, the ones that convince me that there is still something in my heart worth going on for."

She put an arm around him, sitting with him as he looked at her.

"There's one thing I have from my life before the implants. It's a doll's dress." She told him. "I found it in my hand shortly after I woke up from the operation."

She looked away a little, smiling as she thought about it.

"It's little more than a rag now, but I still hold it at times. It brings up feelings in me, a few fragments of memories." She told him. "It's a little silk wedding gown. Someone gave it to me when I was a kid because I loved the way it felt, the way it smelled. Because I couldn't see, it was one of the few things I could appreciate as truly beautiful because of the way it made me feel."

"It means that much to you?" He asked her. She just nodded. "I remember Dr. K found it in your clothing when we brought you here."

"We all have things that mean that much to us." She told him. "For my brother it was the watch. For me it's that dress."

Would you mind showing it to me?" He asked her. She smiled at him. "If it means that much to you..."

"I'll go and get it." She replied. She went upstairs to the Girl's room, finding it a wreck. Her dressing table was overturned, and the drawers and all her possessions littered the floor.

She didn't have much, and nothing of any real value. When she had been brought to them at first, she only had the catsuit she was wearing, with the dress secreted inside it, and the catsuit had been destroyed when Dr. K cut it off before performing the surgery to remove the implant on her heart. Almost all the possessions she had were hand-me-downs from Summer, old clothing and such like, with only a few things that others, mainly Ziggy, had bought her to ensure she had something. She looked to Summer's bed, finding her sitting there, holding Dillon's watch in her hands.

"Summer?" Tenaya asked her, looking at her, holding back on the Yellow Ranger despite her anger. She didn't own much, only the dress and the watch held any real value to her.

"Give me the key Tenaya." She said coldly, looking up at her. Her eyes were burning with a fury that Tenaya had never seen in her. Her reason and good sense were gone, replaced only with a pain born out of anguish.

"Summer, what the hell is going on here?" Tenaya asked her. "How dare you...?"

"I want that god damned key Tenaya!" Summer interrupted her loudly. As Summer got up, Tenaya could see that she wasn't thinking clearly. She hadn't been for a while now; the others had just been giving her some space to work through her thoughts, hoping she would come to them when she was ready. Now though, it was clear what she was going through.

"Summer, that is my watch." She told her.

"It's Dillon's watch." Summer remarked. "Give me the key!"

"I know you're hurt, but that doesn't give you the right..."

"Give me the key!" Summer demanded again, launching a pillow at her. Tenaya could see that there was no point trying to talk any sense into her. She turned to walk away, only to be grabbed and dragged back into the room. "Don't you dare walk away from me!"

"How dare you go through my things?" Tenaya snapped, confronting her. "If you wanted the watch, I'd have given it to you!"

"Give me..."

"What will you do if I don't?" Tenaya asked her, shoving Summer roughly. "Do you really think you have exclusive rights on being hurt by what happened? He's my brother!"

"Well you wouldn't think it to look at you; you and Ziggy seem to be having a great time now he's gone!" Summer snapped at her.

"You aren't the only one who's having a hard time Summer!" Tenaya told her.

"Then why am I the only one who acts like she gives a damn?" She demanded of the Black Ranger. "The way you and Ziggy are carrying on, and the way everyone thinks the sun shines out your ass makes me wonder if you aren't glad he's gone!"

"Are you really so self-absorbed you can't see what this is doing to everyone?" Tenaya asked her. She shook her head slowly as she walked away.

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" Summer warned her.

"Right now Ziggy need me." Tenaya told her. "Clean this up!"

"That's right go downstairs and throw yourself at him like you always do!" Summer yelled, causing Tenaya to stop. "Don't worry about the fact your brother's stuck in a stasis pod, just go and throw yourself into Ziggy's bed..."

"What Ziggy and I do is none of your business!" Tenaya told her coldly. She could see from the look on Summer's face that she was close to breaking point. It was then she realised that Summer needed this, she had been bottling everything up for so long, that she needed to unleash it all, otherwise it would only fester further. "Do you really think you're the only one that needs comfort? I go to Ziggy because I'm having a hard time too. Don't try to tell me you wouldn't be going to Dillon if..."

"Shut up!" Summer roared at her.

"I'm so over this 'coddle the Yellow Ranger' thing. If you want to sit in here feeling sorry for yourself, be my guest, I couldn't care less anymore." Tenaya told her. "I'm going to help someone that hasn't given up on themselves."

Summer watched her turning her back, and her rage finally boiled over. Clenching her fists, she rushed to the attack.


	23. History

Summer drove Tenaya against the wall, before starting to drive fists into her anywhere she could land them. Tenaya turned to face her, covering up as much as she could under the relentless assault.

Tenaya finally had enough, throwing Summer across the room to get her clear as she regained her bearings.

"This is what you really want isn't it Summer?" Tenaya asked her in a low hiss. "You think you're the only one who's hurt, and you want everyone around you to be as miserable as you!"

"I just want someone else to act like they give a damn!" She screamed as she started throwing a series of hard attacks at the Black Ranger. Tenaya simply blocked them all, feeling the strength in every blow born out of Summer's misplaced anger. She made no attempt to retaliate, simply defending herself as Summer hammered her again and again. "You just walk into the group; take Dillon's place and everyone acts like you're the second coming or something!"

"I saved your ass!" Tenaya reminded her. "I came onto the team because you were getting the crap kicked out of you!"

Summer kicked her hard in the chest, smashing Tenaya through the door to the room. Tenaya could feel blood in her mouth and held her ribs as she looked up at Summer. Ziggy jumped up from the couch on the ground floor, completely dumbfounded.

"Tenaya what the hell is going on?" He asked her. Ten held up a hand, indicating she was alright.

"If you remember rightly, I was the one that caught your sorry ass while you were being blown away by a strong wind!" Tenaya taunted her. "Maybe it isn't me that doesn't belong on this team. Maybe..."

Summer morphed and unleashed her energy blast ability. Tenaya was only just able to morph and activate her invincibility shield in time to save herself. She was blasted straight through the safety rail and hit the opposite wall, before landing in a heap on the ground floor. Ziggy rushed over to her.

"Ten, are you...?"

"Back off Ziggy, Summer needs this to happen." Tenaya warned him. Summer leapt down into the main Garage with her Nitro Sword at the ready. Tenaya pulled out her own, parrying Summer's blows. Summer kept up the attack, smashing blow after blow into her. Tenaya finally saw an opening, grabbing Summer and slamming her against the wall, holding her there.

"You might not want me on this team, but make no mistake; I damn sure didn't want to join!" Tenaya screamed at her. "I didn't want Dillon to go into stasis, he's my only family! I'm not his replacement, I'm his substitute!"

She flipped Summer over her head, slamming her into the floor, before holding her down. Summer de-morphed, struggling against her grip as Tenaya pinned her to the floor. Ziggy, seeing the violent nature of the battle had opted to break into the lab and eliminate some of the risk by de-activating the Ranger rigs.

"Just because I'm not spending every waking second sitting by his stasis pod crying and feeling sorry for myself don't think for one second that I don't miss him." She told the Yellow Ranger, her own tears beginning to form. "The fact is apart from Ziggy, he's the only one I have any connection to, it breaks my heart to know I might never see him again, and it takes everything I have just to keep going, so you will not disrespect me or insult me from taking the comfort I need in any way I can."

She got off Summer as she finally settled down, before tearing the key off her neck and throwing it into her chest.

"You want it so bad, here, wallow in despair if that's what you want to do." Tenaya reprimanded her. "The rest of us have to get on with our lives. I'm going upstairs to clean up your mess."

"That's going to have to wait I'm afraid." Dr. K told them as she ran into the room, wearing a tracksuit much like the ones Gem and Gemma wore. The other Rangers quickly joined them in the room. "There has been some activity near the Salford Mountains."

"What would Venjix possibly want there?" Flynn asked her as Summer composed herself as much as she could.

"Salford Mountains was..."

"...a dumping ground..."

"...for failed alphabet soup technology." The twins answered. The Rangers looked at Dr. K.

"It's mostly junk, but Col. Truman just sent me a message to warn me that Chas ordered him to send an excavation team to the site." Dr. K told them. "There may be stuff there that still works, in which case you need to destroy it."

"What's out there?" Ziggy asked her. Dr. K breathed a small sigh, remembering the projects she worked on.

"Not only are there a number of failed attempts at weapons, there are also files." Dr. K informed them. "Colonel Truman warned me because it is possible people other than you may find out about my involvement in creating Venjix."

"That's never going to happen." Scott told her. "We'll get out there and turn everything there into scrap."

The Rangers turned and rushed towards the door, but Scott paused for a second, turning back to look at Dr. K in her new outfit. He guessed she had taken to heart some of the things he said about changing her look.

"Dr. K, I just wanted to say something about the new outfit." He told her. "It really suits you, I love it."

As he turned and ran from the room, Dr. K allowed herself a little smile. She had finally taken Scott's advice, that it was finally time to let go of what had happened to her at Alphabet Soup, and finally stopped wearing their uniform. She had been unsure at first about changing the habit that had been built for as long as she could remember, but now she had a little boost in the change she had made. Scott hadn't told her he liked the new look...better than that...he loved it. It wasn't _quite_ what she wanted to hear him say, but for now, it was close enough, and if her suspicions were right and she had to put her plan into action, it was the best she could expect.

Corporal Hicks was leading the search team as they searched the caves they had found in the mountains. They had unfortunately arrived first. Hicks swung his flashlight around, searching the wreckage.

"It looks like junk." He commented to one of the soldiers. "There might be one or two working parts, but..."

"Sir, come in here quick!" One of the guards yelled. "You won't believe this!"

He rushed into the next chamber as quickly as he could, finding to his shock, Alexander De Winter sitting on a rock, casually holding a hard drive in his hands. He smiled as he saw them come in, levelling their weapons in his direction.

"Corporal Hicks, it's been a while." He greeted him, looking around. "I would have thought for a mission this important the new mayor would have sent Truman."

"He said he had something to do and delegated to me." Hicks told him. "Get your hands where I can see them De Winter."

"You don't need to threaten me Hicks, you've already shot me with one of those once." He reminded him of their previous meeting. "It was unpleasant; I have no desire to repeat the experience. I'll come quietly."

"I'll believe that once you're in solitary for the rest of your days." Hicks commented. He gestured one of the men forward. "Take his cane, check him for weapons."

De Winter didn't bother trying to resist as the soldier searched him, before taking out a handheld scanner to scan him for Venjix technology, coming up clean.

"I told you I had no intention of resisting." De Winter told him. "I caused the disturbance that brought you here. I wanted you to find me. Well, more accurately I wanted you to find that."

He pointed to the hard drive, which Hicks picked up and inspected. "On that is the biggest secret of the Venjix Virus. You hold in your hands, easily the most important discovery in the history of mankind."

"No bullshit De Winter, what is this?" He asked him. De Winter just smiled and shook his head.

"That would spoil the surprise." He replied. "I think the Mayor wants you to take anything of value to him does he not?"

"Take him into custody." Hicks ordered the others. "Switch your blasters to lethal ordinance. If he moves an inch without being ordered, drop him for good. He's too dangerous."

Hicks opened his communicators as the others put De Winter into cuffs and took him away. He tried to reach the Colonel, but found his communicator wasn't responding. He next called Chas.

"You asked me to call when we found something." Hicks told him. "We found De Winter."

"De Winter was there?" Chas asked him. "What was he doing there?"

"He was searching too, we have him in custody." Hicks told him. "We found a working hard drive too; we may beable to retrieve some information."

"Have another sweep of the caves to make sure there's nothing else there then bring it to my office." Chas told him. "If there's anything there, I want to know about it."

Hicks gave the room another quick look, before turning and leaving. The Rangers arrived a little while later, finding the place deserted.

"It looks like we're too late." Scott commented. "I'm sure I saw Hicks leaving the cave."

"If there was nothing here, do you think we'd have been interested?" Shifter asked as he came out of his hiding place with the Rotobot in tow. "The military have only gotten what we wanted them to find."

"Guys, that thing's designed to dig, whatever they're looking for has to be buried, not just dumped!" Scott called out. "We can't let them get their hands on anything that still works!"

The Rangers immediately brought out the RPM Enforcer, and backed it up with the Sky Shift Blazers, firing them at the Rotobot. Unfortunately though, it managed to deflect the shot, smashing down a stone wall.

"Thank you Rangers, you just saved us a lot of digging." Shifter stated, directing their attention to the new cave. Set into the rock was what looked like de-powered, inert zords. They were fashioned after a mammoth, a tyrannosaurus, and a triceratops, designed as what appeared to be a train. "Now all we have to do is re-energise them."

"The Paeleozord!" Gem and Gemma shrieked together. The others looked at them.

"What is it?" Scott asked them.

"It was a powerful weapons system that was scrapped..."

"...because it couldn't be controlled." Gemma told them. "It couldn't..."

"...tell friend from foe..."

"...and just attacked everything in sight."

"If it's released inside the dome, then it would be like dropping a wolf in a hen house." Scott responded. "We need to stop them!"

As the Rotobot was grown to massive size, the Rangers responded by bringing out the Shy Rev Megazord, and the Road Attack Zord, launching into the burnout attack directed at the Rotobot. Unfortunately, the attack was smashed aside.

"We're too late; Shifter must have re-energised the Paeleozord!" Scott remarked as it burst into life. It rushed around, attacking all sides with unmatched power, before disappearing as quickly as it had arrived.

"This is so bad!" Scott stated as they watched the Rotobot disappear. "We need to find it and stop it before it destroys everything. We'll regroup back at the Garage. We really need to talk to Dr. K on this one."

In another part of town, Marcus found himself deep in the industrial district, searching for somewhere to shelter and weigh up his situation.

He hadn't meant to end up inside the city. He only wanted to deliver the rest of the rebels and head back out to continue his lonely war against the machine that had turned him into what he now was. He didn't blame the soldiers for their reaction; he felt exactly the same about infiltrators. He knew all about them having become one, though an accident in the final stages meant his mental conditioning was not complete. He remembered who he was, and everything about his life before.

He could even remember the procedure, having been conscious throughout all of it. He could remember watching, screaming until his voice left him, feeling the agony of every incision. He could remember the feeling as he watched parts of his own anatomy, pieces of him being removed and disposed of like common garbage, before being replaced with the vile machinery that now polluted his system. They were not natural, an abomination. He vowed to use the strength Venjix had given him to destroy everything he could for as long as he could, eradicate every last crime against nature it had created, including himself. It was a war he would fight until he was destroyed as every creation of the accursed virus deserved to be.

Now though he was trapped in the city. He was among his former kind, held away from his suicide mission by the very people he fought to protect.

He felt a small grumble in his stomach and realised he hadn't eaten in some time. He needed to find sustenance, while he planned his next move. It was then that he heard a commotion from a couple of blocks over.

He made his way towards the noise, finding a savage fire fight in the streets. Sweet Tooths were launching an attack on some members of the Scorpion Cartel, forcing their way into their territory. Ever since Fresno Bob had been laid up, the city had erupted into a war zone. It was a free-for-all as the five cartels, who had adhered to their peace agreements since the first days of the dome suddenly realised that there was no one to direct the enforcement of the boundaries. Marcus felt bile rising in his throat. Venjix was outside their walls, bent on wiping humanity from the face of the earth, and here the humans that were left, instead of standing for their survival, were fighting among themselves.

He heard a scream from a little way off and looked across, finding a woman cradling a young baby, cowering behind a wrecked car. She was caught in the cross fire between both sides. As the Sweet Tooths advanced, he realised it was only a matter of time before a stray round hit her.

Hefting his blaster, he leapt from his hiding place, laying down a hail of fire as he did so, forcing the Sweet Tooths back. He vaulted over the car, crouching with her and grabbing her.

"Come with me!" He instructed her, unclipping a couple of grenades from his belt and throwing them, forcing both sides into cover. He grabbed her under his arm and ran with her to safety, pulling her into a nearby building.

"Are you both alright?" He asked her. She checked the child, finding him to be terrified, though otherwise unharmed. She nodded to him.

"Thank you, we owe you our lives." She told him. As Marcus turned to leave, she noticed the back of his jacket was scorched open, and his flesh was burned by blaster fire from his escape from the military. "Stop!"

He paused and turned to face her, looking at her curiously. What did she want? She was now safe to leave. She looked up at him with something he hadn't seen in a long time, compassion.

"You're hurt." She told him, looking at him.

"Believe me, this is nothing." He told her, before starting to leave again.

"Wait; please there must be something I can do to repay you." She pleaded with him. "I live only a few blocks from here. Please, come with me, I can tend to your wounds."

He smiled at her, finding something in her that he hadn't in many he had known for a long time. She genuinely wanted to help him. She didn't just accept the fact she was now safe and leave to look after her own interests, she wanted to help him.

"If it's not too much to ask, I am a little hungry." He told her. She just nodded.

"I owe you my life, I'll get you something." She told him. "It's just this way."

Marcus looked around, ensuring none of the gangsters were following them, though by the sounds of it they were much too busy with their own fire fight. He turned back to her and followed her, shouldering his blaster.

"You haven't told me your name." She reminded him. "Who rescued me?"

"My name's Marcus." He told her.

"Thank you Marcus. I'm Maria." She replied. "This is Dexter."

"He's a cute boy." He commented, looking down on him fondly. He had been in the wastes and had fought for so long, that survival was the only thing that mattered. He had almost forgotten what humanity was, but looking down on him, he knew that he represented what the war was all about. It was about hope.

Back at the Garage, the Rangers found Colonel Truman and Dr. K monitoring the surveillance screens as they arrived.

"Dr. K, we really need to know anything you can tell us about this Paeleozord." Scott said as they rushed in, catching his breath.

"It was one of the earliest attempts to create the biotech zords, based on research into fragments of zords recovered from the former city of Reefside." She informed them. "They were similar in design to ours, and in principle, using DNA from living creatures to power the higher synaptic functions; however we were missing some kind of power source. Since the creatures we used were extinct, their bio fields no longer existed in the universal energy grid. That meant that while they were powerful, we couldn't control them. Eventually the project was scrapped."

"So how do we stop them?" Scott asked her. "If we can't control them..."

"I said we couldn't." She corrected him. "I am working on a programme that may create an artificial energy grid, which will align it to your morpher."

"Dr. K's playing favourites again." Ziggy whispered to Flynn. "Scott gets another Zord?"

"He already has the Road Attack Zord." Flynn reminded him, but he just shrugged. "It's the benefits of being the leader I guess."

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Scott asked her.

"Black, Green, Gold and Silver, perform manoeuvres in your zords to draw out the Paeleozord, it appears to be attracted to conflict." Dr. K told them. "Yellow, Blue and Red, keep your eyes out for it and be ready to step in. The city's in enough of a mess."

"I'll say, and now we know whose fault it is!" Hicks declared as a dozen soldiers ran into the room. "Chas and I just unlocked the files we recovered from the cave. Dr. K created the Venjix Virus. We have no choice but to arrest her for treason."

"Hicks, calm down." Colonel Truman told him. "We need her here to work on this."

"Sorry, but I have my duty." Hicks told them, reaching out for her. His hand passed straight through her, causing them all to look a little confused.

"I had a feeling that you might be coming for her, that's why I warned her." Colonel Truman told him. "I knew all about her involvement in creating Venjix, but I also knew..."

"Sir, you helped her?" Hicks asked him. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that we all need to pull together to defeat Venjix, we can't fight among ourselves over our own petty issues." He yelled. Summer shifted uneasily and looked over at Tenaya, feeling a little guilty. That had been exactly what she had done, and she felt ashamed of herself. She knew he was right, the team needed to pull together, not fight among themselves. "My son died as a result of Venjix, I have as much reason to hate her as anyone, but I know that hating her won't bring him back."

"She cost billions of lives!" Hicks reminded him. "Sir, I'm sorry but this is my duty. For aiding and abetting the fugitive, I have no choice but to relieve you of command and place you under arrest."

Colonel Truman just smiled, before disappearing, revealing himself to be a hologram too. Hicks just looked around at the other Rangers, before turning and leaving.

"Search the entire city." He ordered them. The Rangers looked at the Dr. K hologram, a little impressed by her foresight.

"I am broadcasting from a hidden location. The Colonel and I will continue to provide information from here. Go, the city needs you." She instructed them. They turned to leave, but she reached out. "Scott!"

Scott paused for a second, turning back to her. She looked at him a little regretfully, a tear beginning to roll down her face.

"Now the city knows the truth, I will never be free. If I am found, I will be imprisoned for life or executed." She told him. "I can never return, and if I am found...the point is I will never see you again."

"Dr. K..."

"Scott, I was so scared that I would be hurt, I never told you this, but now I know that I should have told you when I had the chance." She told him. "Scott, I love you."

With that, she disappeared. Scott felt his heart growing cold as he heard this. He had been falling for her for a while now, and he knew they were close, but he never imagined he'd hear those words from her. Now it seemed that they would never see each other again out with the medium of holographic communications. He turned and ran after the other rangers, determined to bring the Paeleozord under control, after which he would strive to find a way to get Chas to overturn her conviction. Now she had told him, he needed her with him because in his heart he knew that he loved her too.


	24. History Becomes Clear

Corporal Hicks came into Chas' office, finding Vasquez already waiting. After his failure to apprehend Dr. K, he had called in to report to Chas what was happening.

Chas was already feeling the unwelcome burden of his office. He hadn't even had a chance to unpack most of his possessions before he had the unwelcome news that Dr. K was the one responsible for creating Venjix. He had no idea what to do. Like most of Corinth, he had lost people in the attacks, and felt understandably betrayed by the fact that the woman they had relied on to protect them was the very reason they needed her protection in the first place.

Hicks saluted, only to earn himself a slightly confused look from Chas, before he shook his head. Only the day before, Hicks outranked him; it was something he was going to have a little trouble getting used to.

"You don't have to do that Hicks, how long have we known each other?" Chas reminded him.

"Sorry, it's just a force of habit I guess." He replied. "We tried to apprehend Dr. K at the Garage, but she wasn't there. She had put a holographic projection in there to fool us. She must have been broadcasting from another location."

"So she's still at large?" Chas asked him. Kicks nodded.

"We're broadcasting her image all over the city as being wanted for treason." He told him. "I've not broadcast the details of her crime or offered a reward for her capture. This city's tearing itself apart enough right now without adding a bunch of rush hour Rambos out for her blood into the mix."

"That's probably for the best." Chas agreed, nodding. "Only the three of us and your capture team have been briefed. As long as this doesn't hit the press, at least we'll have a chance to sort this out without it turning into a witch hunt."

"Everyone's been instructed that this is classified to the highest level." Hicks told him. Chas looked around. "Where's the Colonel?"

Chas looked at him a little uneasily, and then to Vasquez, before taking a deep breath and answering.

"The Colonel was the one who tipped her off." Hicks informed them, causing both of them to look a little confused. "He knew all along. He's now in hiding with her."

"The Colonel knew?" Vasquez asked him in shock. She had known the Colonel for a long time, and she trusted him implicitly. She couldn't believe that he'd ever betray them; it was inconceivable to her that he'd ever fail in the duty that had been entrusted to him.

"I'm afraid so." Hicks responded. "It looks like he's picked his side. I've relieved him of his command and put out a warrant for his arrest too. By helping her escape, he's also guilty of treason."

"Treason?" Vasquez asked him. "Hicks, you know him better than that, there's no way he would..."

"I don't have a choice, you know the law!" Hicks interrupted her. "Anyone aiding and abetting a traitor is guilty of treason."

"Fine, both Colonel Truman and Dr. K are fugitives, but I want this kept on the quiet. If the citizens find out about this, they'll tear the city apart to find her." Chas declared loudly, his eyes betraying his panic. "How are things out there?"

"The troops are spread as thin as we'll go." Hicks told him. "I've called up every reservist I could lay my hands on, but between the gang warfare and the city wide search, we're at the limit."

"The Rangers are still busy chasing around that train thing Dr. K built." Chas stated in an exasperated tone, kicking his trash can across the room in frustration. "My first day and already the city's gone straight to hell!"

"We should concentrate on helping the Rangers and protecting the people." Vasquez implored them. "We don't have the resources for this..."

"You think we should just let Dr. K go?" Kicks asked her angrily, rounding on her. "You think she should be allowed to get away with her crimes? With everything she's done?"

"I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt!" Vasquez replied. "The Colonel trusts her, and I trust him. Maybe if..."

"Vasquez, it's our duty to bring them to justice. Are you saying you'll refuse to do the job appointed to you?" He asked her. Vasquez looked between him and Chas.

"It's just..."

"Vasquez, you will do your duty, or you'll be arrested too." Hicks stated bluntly. "Which is it to be?"

She knew that Hicks was serious in his threat. He was so much sterner and more serious than she had ever seen him. His tone was one of anger and hurt. She hadn't known Hicks before they were stationed together on Colonel Truman's staff, and she didn't know anything about his life before he came to Corinth. She had no idea what could have happened to him before he came to the city, but given how passionate he seemed to be about bringing Dr. K in, she guessed that he must have some reason for his anger.

"I'll do my duty." She answered quietly, saluting him. Hicks just turned and marched out of Chas' office.

"Then get out on the streets Vasquez." He barked as he left. "I want every troop I can get out on the streets until this city's back under control."

She looked to Chas, but could see that he was siding with Hicks. She just left the room to head back to the streets and look for them. She couldn't believe that the Colonel would ever do anything other than what was best for Corinth, and while she was angry about what Dr. K had done, she had to believe that the Colonel had a reason for siding with her. She just knew that she would be no use to them if she was imprisoned.

As she got outside, Hicks ran off with a patrol when they saw Dr. K, though she thought it was odd that the radio kept coming in with reports of sightings of her, all at once and sometimes as much as miles apart.

As she saw Dr. K running a little way from her, she pulled out her blaster and fired a stun round, which passed straight through her. She smiled as she confirmed her suspicion that Dr. K was simply using more holographic images to keep the military off her tail.

"She's playing with us." She said to herself. "Colonel Truman always told me that the best way to hide was to be the one place everyone else isn't."

She then looked up to the Central Command room at the top of the dome and smiled.

"Hicks sent everyone into the city." She said to herself, beginning to run towards the centre of the city. "Up there she can see and hear everything. It'd be the perfect place to hide!"

Over at another part of the city, Ziggy and Tenaya had formed the Valvemax Megazord, and the twins had formed the Mach Megazord, preparing to face each other in a practice battle. Dr. K had realised that the Paleozord was attracted to conflict, and so they sought to draw it out.

"This is my day for fighting with other Rangers it seems." Tenaya grumbled, thinking about her earlier fight with Summer.

"It's alright; we only need to fight long enough to attract the insane train again." Ziggy reminded her.

"It's not like you couldn't do with the practice." Gem teased her. "Don't worry, we'll go easy on you new girl."

She let out a yell as she surged forward, slamming the Wolf Zord arm into the Mach Megazord, staggering them and smirked at him.

"You are so going to pay for that one Goldie!" She told him.

Summer and Flynn watched on the ground, waiting for the Paleozord to arrive. Flynn leaned towards Summer.

"So do you fancy a small wager?" He asked her. "You know, just a friendly bet."

"I wouldn't like to bet against Tenaya." Summer said quietly. Flynn just nodded.

"I kind of thought you'd see things that way." He agreed. "I mean, you do have pretty direct experience of standing against her. Summer just looked at him.

"You know about that?" She asked him. Flynn gave a curt laugh as a response.

"Between the fact the two of you had a butt load of fresh bruises and the Garage looks like Chernobyl on a bad day, it would be kind of hard to miss." He commented. "Care to tell me what it was about?"

"It's stupid; I should never have started it." She told him. He put an arm around her, holding her closely.

"You know, one time when I was a kid, there was a girl I was absolutely crazy about. She was all I'd think about, but she didn't know I existed. When I finally did pluck up the courage to ask her out, she turned me down flat. I was devastated; I thought the world had ended. I just shut myself in my room for days. I didn't want to talk to anyone." He told her. Summer nodded.

"That sounds familiar." She commented.

"The thing is, one day my cousin Stuart came into my room and demanded that I leave. He told me that I was being a pain in everyone's arse and to snap out of it." Flynn continued with the story. "I was so angry with him; I thought he was making fun of what I was going through, so I went for him."

"You attacked him?" Summer asked him. "What happened?"

"Well, I was 10 and he was 17 so he kicked my arse 8 ways from Sunday, but he did the one thing that I needed." Flynn told him. "He got me to let it out. You can't take on the world by yourself lass. He told me later that he did it for my own good. It's what families do. Sometimes they hug you, other times they give you a good hard clip round the lug. I think Ten knew exactly what she was doing."

"I'm beginning to think so too." Summer replied. "I can't believe I've been such a bitch to her. She's only trying to help."

"You were hurting, and people aren't logical when they're like that." He reminded her. "You just needed someone to get through that thick head of yours that you need your family."

"She's Dillon's sister." Summer said gently.

"She is, and she knows how much you mean to him." Flynn reminded her. "I think that makes you about as close to family as you can get."

"I've never had a sister." Summer told him, thinking about it. "I guess it'll take a while to get used to."

"Well you've got the best part of having a family waiting on you when we get through this." Flynn told her. "Apologising to her after she kicked your arse."

"Yeah, I wasn't really looking forward to that, but I guess I owe it to her." She replied. "So was it hard to apologise to your cousin?"

"Trust me; he made me pay for that one." Flynn chuckled. "I didn't stop hearing about it for years."

"Guys, the Rotobot is back!" Scott called out over the communicators. "Our favourite locomotive's on the way."

"Looks like that's our cue." Flynn commented. "Going to Zords!"

Over at the Central Command room, Dr. K was working furiously when the door opened. Colonel Truman looked up, seeing Vasquez. He reached for his drawer, but she held up her blaster.

"Its fine, I'm not here to capture you." She told them. "Not until I know the full story."

"We really don't have time." Dr. K told her. "I promise I'll explain everything but right now the Rangers are taking a pounding. If I don't complete this code..."

"Say no more." Vasquez replied, sitting by another console and beginning to work. "Just tell me what I can do to help."

Colonel Truman came over behind her, and levelled a blaster at her head. Vasquez looked up at him, but he smiled.

"It isn't loaded." He told her. "But if things don't work out, at least you can say you were forced to help us."

Vasquez just nodded in understanding before getting to work.

"The encryption's looks good over here." Dr. K told her. "How is the firewall coming along?"

"I'm breaking through it as quickly as I can." Vasquez told her. "This thing has a serious attitude problem."

"That's why we deactivated it before." Dr. K told her. "However, if this works..."

"Everyone hold it right where you are!" Hicks warned them, brandishing his blaster. "I can't believe that the genius that ended the world would be so stupid as to come to the one place she would certainly be captured.

"Hicks, hold your fire!" Vasquez told him, standing up and holding up her hands. Colonel Truman realised her plan and wrapped an arm around her neck, holding her in position, putting the blaster to the side of her head where he could see it. "You can't do this!"

"Vasquez, how stupid do you think I am?" He asked her. "I know the Colonel would never put your life in danger. He's been friends with you for years!"

"I'm not in a position where I have a lot of choices." Colonel Truman reminded him, tightening his grip on Vasquez. He hated having to hurt her, but he had to make it look convincing.

"Colonel, you trained me personally when I got to Corinth, you taught me everything I know, so you know how good a shot I am." Hicks reminded him. "Right now, the blaster's set to a lethal power level, and I'm about five seconds from giving Dr. K a new hole to breathe through."

Colonel Truman knew he was right, Hicks was an exceptional marksman, and an experienced soldier. While he had never served in the military before he came to Corinth, he volunteered for the defence force the second he arrived. Colonel Truman had taken an instant liking to him at the time.

He was an athletic, confident and passionate man, who threw himself enthusiastically into his training and into any battle he was a part of. He was fearless, and thoroughly dedicated, taking to his new role quickly. It was because of this that Colonel Truman had signed him to the military as soon as the Battle for Corinth was over and took him under his wing. He never talked about his time before the dome, only focussing on being the best soldier he could. His passion was the reason Colonel Truman had chosen him as his aide over many more experienced, better qualified soldiers. Even as a new recruit he quickly progressed to the point where he bested his superiors.

"Hicks, you can't hit me and Dr. K." Colonel Truman reminded him. "I'll kill her, and then I'll kill you if you fire that shot."

"You forgot two things Colonel." Hicks replied. "The first is, I know that model of blaster intimately, and you know as well as I do that when the power pack is empty, it sticks out a few millimetres from the handle to allow it to be removed."

Colonel Truman cursed Hicks' good eyes for spotting that, even from this distance.

"The second is, I am a VERY good shot!"

He turned and fired, hitting the Colonel squarely in the forehead with his shot and sending him to the floor, before turning back to Dr. K. She held her hands over her head.

"Colonel!" Dr. K shrieked. Vasquez ran to his side, before nodding to Dr. K.

"I lied, it was set on stun, but it's on lethal charge now." Hicks informed her. "Now, why don't you try telling me why I shouldn't put you down right now?"

"Hicks, the Rangers need her to complete that code!" Vasquez told him. "Once she's done that, she'll answer any questions we have."

"You have my word that I won't run, just please allow me to finish." Dr. K begged him. Hicks' grip on the blaster shook a little, and Vasquez could see tears in his eyes. The look on his face was one of pure fury.

"Your word is worthless after everything you've done!" He hissed. Vasquez stood up from the floor.

"Hicks, we all lost something to Venjix." Vasquez told him. "The Colonel..."

"The Colonel lost his son!" Hicks snapped at her, his voice breaking, though as a result of his training, his aim remained locked on Dr. K. "I lost everyone!"

"Corporal Hicks..."

"Don't you dare say a word!" He warned Dr. K coldly. "When Venjix attacked my mother's farm, the whole family was there for a wedding, my wedding! I went out to get the dog when the fighters came!"

"Hicks..."

"15 members of my family, 4 generations gone in one blast!" He yelled. "And all of it was her fault!"

"Corporal Hicks, there is nothing I can do to bring back your family." She told him. "I know I can never ask you, ask anyone to forgive me for my part in this, but you have to let me help the Rangers now. If they die, then everyone loses, and all of this is for nothing."

"Dr. K, we're out!" Summer called through the communications link. "Our suits are out."

"Hicks..."

His hands shook a little more, as he considered his options. His heart screamed at him to just pull the trigger. The reason he was alone in the world, the very woman who had caused it all was standing less than 20 feet from him. It would take less than a second for him to finally have vengeance for everything that had been taken from him. However, in his mind all he could think about was Colonel Truman's voice telling him to stand down. That his own vengeance could not betray the duty he had to the city and the people in his care. He let out a savage cry, throwing the blaster aside and collapsing to his knees, holding his face in his hands.

"Go to him." Dr. K told Vasquez, before completing her work. As she saw Vasquez holding him, comforting him in his time of need, she felt her own tears beginning. She could understand his pain, and a part of her almost wanted him to get his vengeance if it would grant him some peace. She wiped her nose with her sleeve as she completed the code.

"Rangers, the code is complete." She told them. "The Paleozord is now ours."

As Colonel Truman started to come to, she ran to him, helping him up. He looked over to where Hicks was still in Vasquez's arms. Colonel Truman went over to him and offered him a hand.

"Straighten yourself up and give me a proper report son!" He told him, much as he had done when Hicks was merely a volunteer during the Battle of Corinth. Hicks got to his feet, composing himself as much as he could.

"The Rangers are about to win." He replied. "Mason Truman..."

"You don't have to say it, we're turning ourselves in." He told him, holding Dr. K. "If this whole mess is going to get straightened out, then everyone who knows needs to hear the full story."

Hicks pulled out some handcuffs, snapping them onto Colonel Truman, while Vasquez took care of Dr. K. Hicks pulled out his radio.

"Call off the troops, the fugitives have been apprehended." Hicks instructed the military. "The search is over."

Later in the day, the Rangers were searching the Garage for any sign of Dr. K or the Colonel. They assembled in the middle of the room.

"There's no sign of them." Scott stated. "They must have gone..."

"We haven't gone far." Colonel Truman interrupted him as Hicks escorted him and Dr. K back into the room.

"We told Chas everything." Dr. K told him. "He's sworn everyone who knows to secrecy."

"In his wisdom, he's granted both of us a full pardon." Colonel Truman announced, but Dr. K stopped him with a hand.

"Not complete." She told him, turning to Corporal Hicks. "I know it will never repay what I owe you, but..."

Hicks just turned and walked away. Gemma could see that he was upset, and ran off after him. Scott put his arm around Dr. K as she reached out for him.

"It is not yet time for him to hear it." Colonel Truman told her. "In time, perhaps he will finally come to terms with what cannot be changed. Until then, all we can do is look forward to a brighter future."

"Well I for one have some cleaning up to do." Summer told them, heading up to the girl's room.

"I think I might just help her for a little while." Tenaya replied, looking to Ziggy for a second. "I'll see you later."

"Well, I think we might just go and...do something...well...somewhere..."

Ziggy was interrupted as Flynn and Gem picked him up. Flynn clamped a hand over his mouth to silence him.

"Come on Ziggy, why don't we take you somewhere and explain a little thing called subtlety?" He suggested as they dragged him away. Colonel Truman looked between his son and Dr. K for a second and smiled.

"I better be getting back to my office." He told them. "I have a little paperwork to be getting on with."

As he left, Dr. K smiled nervously, turning back towards Scott.

"Scott, I never imagined that I'd ever be allowed to return." She told him honestly. "Scott, what I told you before..."

He took her in his arms, seizing her and pulling her into him. He craned his neck downward, pressing his lips to hers causing her eyes to shoot open wide in shock. After a moment, she closed her eyes and reached around him, returning the embrace. Scott finally parted from her, looking down into her eyes.

"When you said you loved me, I couldn't believe it. I never would have thought you'd see me that way. I never would have thought it was possible..."

Dr. K grabbed his shirt, pulling him down and kissing him again.

"You talk too much." She told him. "There's only one thing I want to hear you say."

Scott smiled and held her to his chest as he obliged willingly.

"I love you."

Up in the Girls' room, Tenaya arrived to find Summer, struggling, but failing to right the dresser she had overturned. She gave out a small cough.

"Would you like a hand?" Tenaya asked her. Summer nodded weakly, at which Tenaya joined her, virtually righting it herself.

"I guess sometimes a little Venjix tech can be helpful." Summer commented. "Look, sorry about earlier."

"It's alright..."

"No Tenaya, it isn't." Summer interrupted her. "I know I haven't been easy to live with lately."

"I guess I could have been a little more sensitive. It can't have been easy watching me and Ziggy together." She replied with a shrug. "I'm sorry if it seemed like I was gloating or something, it's just that this thing with Dillon is getting to me, and Ziggy's going through a hard time..."

"I get it, you don't need to worry." Summer told her. "I had people that were willing to comfort me, and I didn't go to them. I just wallowed in self pity. I just wanted everyone to be as miserable and as hurt as me. I resented anyone that had a measure of happiness. It wasn't fair on any of you. I know that now."

"Well I'm glad I managed to help." Tenaya replied.

"I'm sorry about the damage I caused." Summer told her. "I had no right to go through your things without asking, no matter how hurt I was."

"Summer, I understand, it's like I said, if you just asked I'd have given you the watch." Tenaya told her. "I don't have much..."

"You have a sister." Summer told her, putting an arm around her. "Even if she can be a bit self-absorbed when she's hurt."

"Sister?" Tenaya asked her. Summer breathed a small sigh as she tried to tell her.

"The night Dillon attacked me, after we made love...I asked him to marry me." She told her. "He agreed, that was what weakened his resolve and allowed Venjix to take control."

"Summer, you shouldn't blame yourself; you couldn't possibly have known that would happen." Tenaya reassured her, hugging her tightly as she felt a couple of tears beginning to form.

"I've never had a sister before." Summer told her as they held each other. "It's going to be interesting getting used to that."

"I guess it is." Tenaya assured her. "Hopefully not all our moments will be like that one this morning."

"I'd prefer not to have too many of those myself." Summer agreed as she gathered some things. As she picked up a small wooden box, it swung open and a little piece of ragged material fell onto the floor. Summer looked at it curiously.

"That's just something I had on me when I woke up from the surgery." Tenaya told her. "It was..."

"A doll's wedding dress." Summer breathed gently. "I recognise this, I think...no...I know...it belonged to one of the dolls I had as a kid."

"Summer?" Tenaya asked her.

"I remember that Mrs. Kitchner's daughter really loved it, so I gave it to her for her birthday one year." Summer told her. "She loved it because of the way it felt because..."

She paused and her eyes opened wide as she suddenly got a clear image of that time. Because a lot of that part of her life had been repressed, she didn't recall everything, but now she got the image in her mind so clearly.

"Julie was blind." Summer recalled. "She and Freddy were so close because he led her around."

She turned to Tenaya, grabbing her shoulders tightly.

"Tenaya...I think I know who you are!"


	25. New Missions

Marcus snapped awake as he felt a soft hand touching his shoulder. He reacted purely out of instinct, snapping around and reaching for the first weapon he could find, the knife in his boot as he turned to confront his potential attacker. Maria jumped backwards, staring at him, unsettled by the wild, insane look in his eyes.

"It's alright, it's just me." She told him, holding her hands up defensively. "You're safe here, I invited you remember?"

Marcus looked around, taking in her apartment, and started to slowly come around, remembering that she had indeed brought him here. He had saved her from the middle of a fire fight earlier, and had insisted on bringing him here to tend to his wounds and give him something to eat. It appeared that afterwards, he had succumbed to the exhaustion of his journey and his flight from the guards. Thinking about it, it had to be coming close to three days since he had last slept.

"You were mumbling and you started thrashing around. It looked like you were having a nightmare." She told him gently.

"How long was I asleep?" He asked her, changing the subject. As a result of everything he had seen, everything he had experienced since surviving the crash out in the wastes, he always had nightmares. There was no one who lived outside the dome for any length of time without having nightmares, but for him it was such a common occurrence that he virtually never had a restful sleep.

"You were out most of the night." Maria replied sympathetically, still looking at him a little uneasily. As he sat up, he could see why. She had taken his shirt off to tend to the wounds on his back, exposing the extensive scarring across his body. Between wounds gained in battle out in the wastes, and the fact he had escaped from the camp before his body was fully treated with Venjix's regenerative serum meant that barely any of his flesh was left unscathed. Whenever he saw it in a mirror, it looked like it had been stitched together from parts that shouldn't fit. He always got images of Frankenstein's monster whenever he saw the extent of his scars, something that did nothing to ease his mental state. "Do you mind if I check your dressing?"

Marcus just sat up and leaned forward, allowing her access to his back. She inspected the dressings, making sure they had been applied properly. He looked over to the corner where her son, Dexter was sleeping soundly.

"You're a soldier aren't you?" She asked him. Marcus looked up at her, at which she just pointed to his dog tags. "Where did you come from?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He replied. "This dressing feels good, thank you."

"I heard a few refugees arrived from the wastes yesterday." She informed him, collecting his plate from the table. "You're one of the freedom fighters aren't you?"

"I just got into the city yesterday." He told her, looking at her a little cautiously. He knew the military would be on the lookout for the infiltration unit that had escaped their capture the day before. He wondered if she knew who he was, if he could be in danger that the military would be coming for him any minute. Of course, he doubted she'd do anything that would put her son in danger.

"I thought the military would have housed you all by now." She commented.

"I kind of got separated from the group." He said semi-truthfully. She just smiled at him, clearly the news hadn't been broken yet that they were on the lookout for an infiltrator. Given the state the city was in, it was likely they didn't want the citizens to have any more reasons to panic.

"I guess they are stretched pretty thin lately." She commented. "I'd recommend you go to the Central Command building to be housed. Who knows, they might even find some of your family in here."

Marcus just shook his head. He already knew from the battle at the factory that Scott and his father were still alive. Of course, right now he had no desire to let them see what he had become. The last time he saw his father, they were enemies, and when he left Scott and Gem in the wastes with the refugees from the camp, they hardly parted on great terms.

"I don't have a family." He told her. He gestured to Dexter's crib. "I better get going. I doubt his dad's impressed you brought a strange man home."

"I lost his father a few months ago." She informed him. "He was a soldier. He was killed in a Venjix raid."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Marcus told her. He hated to see what was going on. He heard a few blasts and crashes, but he noticed that Maria barely flinched.

"This is insane, the whole world's population is reduced to one city, and these cockroaches are fighting among themselves?" He asked her. "What the hell happened here?"

"The Cartels existed in peace for a while. They never advertised the fact, but everyone in Corinth knew that they formed an agreement. There was so little that they knew fighting among themselves would lead to...well..." She gestured out of the window. As Dexter started to become disturbed by the noise, she picked him up, holding him closely and stroking his back, whispering reassuringly in his ear. "Then one of the mob bosses, Fresno Bob suddenly got laid low at the new Mayor's wedding. With the most powerful mob in the city in chaos, the others started to become braver and started taking raids on each other's borders. Before anyone knew what was going on, the whole place went up."

She sighed and went to the kitchen to look out a bottle for her child, before carrying on the story.

"The military's stretched to the limit to contain it, they can't handle it." She told him. "It's just so infuriating. My husband gave his life to defend these people, and at our time of need, when everyone needs to come together, they're fighting for scraps like cockroaches."

"Someone needs to stop this." Marcus stated with authority. He turned to the couch and picked up his blaster t-shirt, but Maria stopped him.

"I can't stop you going, can I?" She asked him. He shook his head.

"Not when people like you and Dexter need my help." He told her. "I can end this, I know I can."

"I don't know why, but I believe you could." She told him in response. "If anyone else said that to me, I'd think they were insane, but with you...I believe it's possible."

She went into another room, before returning with a T-shirt and a leather jacket.

"These belonged to my husband, they should fit you." She told him. "If you ever need anything..."

"I won't be coming back." He interrupted her. "If I'm going to be taking on the entire city, the last thing I can afford is to put you in danger."

"I understand." She replied sadly. "Just go knowing that there is a place for you here if you need it."

Marcus smiled for what felt like the first time since he discovered the truth about Scarlett.

"I can't, but thank you." He told her, putting on the clothes and gathering his helmet and face mask. "It's good for even the loneliest man to know there's somewhere he can go."

He gathered up his weapons and left the apartment, heading out onto the streets. He had to fight a war by himself, but he already knew the first step in his plan. She had already told him the name of the first crime boss, the one that was laid low. He needed to find Fresno Bob.

Tenaya sat in the girl's room, inspecting the watch and the two keys as she waited for Summer to return. Since Summer had discovered the doll's dress in Tenaya's belongings, she wanted to find as much information as she could to confirm her suspicions as to her true identity.

Summer arrived back in the room, shaking her head sadly.

"I'm sorry; I thought my parents might have something about Mrs. Kitchner." She told her. "I only had the clothes I was wearing when I arrived in Corinth. I thought mom and dad might have some records or something, but they didn't have time to bring much, only what little they remembered of them."

"So we still don't know for sure." Tenaya asked her. "It might still be nothing but a coincidence."

"I really can't think of any other explanation." Summer told her. "The pieces fit together. Both you and Julie were blind, both of you were given a silk doll's dress by a friend, you both had a brother..."

"What did you say?" Tenaya asked her. Summer looked at her.

"I said you both..."

"No, before that." Tenaya asked. Summer seemed confused.

"I said the pieces fit together." Summer repeated. Tenaya looked down at the two keys, and inspected them more closely.

"This one's smaller than the other, that's why it doesn't trigger the mechanism." Tenaya told her. She looked to the bigger of the two keys, and inspected it. There was a section on the shaft, a collar of sorts that moved. No one knew what its purpose was. Tenaya moved it, revealing a sort of small groove running down the shaft. Her hands shook a little as she slid the key into place, interlocking them. "It isn't meant to be used on its own, the keys fit together."

"Together the teeth form a different pattern." Summer commented. Tenaya pulled closer to Summer, allowing her to hold her as they inserted the key into the watch and turned it, winding up the mechanism.

Hicks was sitting in his apartment alone, contemplating the events of the day.

He had heard Dr. K recount the tale of everything that had happened, explaining all about Alphabet Soup and their involvement in creating the Venjix Virus. He had heard all about how she, like Gem and Gemma, had been raised from an infant, never knowing life outside of the complex, how they were prisoners, so desperate to escape their permanent imprisonment that they had unleashed the deadliest force the world had ever known.

He understood why they had unleashed the virus, and having known Dr. K for as long as he had, he believed her when he assured her that had she been allowed to install the firewall, it would never have spread beyond Alphabet Soup.

Of course that did little to alleviate the pain over his considerable losses, and his anger over knowing who was responsible even if it was a mistake. As was his duty, he had agreed not to pursue a vendetta against Dr. K, and he had been sworn to secrecy over her involvement meaning that once again, he was dealing with his anger alone.

As he sank a glass of bourbon; he heard a knock on the door. He turned to face it, his hand straying to the blaster he habitually carried tucked into the back of his trousers. He made his way over to the door, opening it, only to find Gemma standing there. He sighed and shook his head.

"I'm not in the mood for visitors." He told her, before closing the door. He walked back to the table, pouring himself another glass, but as he did so, he heard the door opening. He spun around, levelling his blaster, but managed to stop himself from firing as he saw that it was only Gemma.

"Do you treat all visitors so warmly?" She asked him. He just put the blaster away. "Sorry, but I really thought you could use someone to talk to. The electric door lock was easy to hack."

"Right, the genius thing." He commented as he sat down, gesturing for her to do likewise. He offered her a glass, which she accepted. As she drank, she coughed furiously. It was incredibly strong, and unlike anything she was used to.

"I wanted to see if you were alright." She told him, hitting herself in the chest in an attempt to clear up the reaction to the strong drink.

"Well today I shot my boss and found out who's responsible for releasing the Venjix virus." He told her. "Yeah, I'm pretty much riding cloud nine."

"I heard a little about what went on at the command centre." She informed him, looking at him sympathetically. "What you did is a good thing."

"Shooting the Colonel?" He asked her sarcastically. "I still don't know if he'll press charges over that."

"He knows you were just doing your duty." Gemma assured him. "He would probably have done the same under the circumstances."

"I don't know if I can do this." He sighed sadly. "I don't know if I can trust myself to serve any more."

He looked at her and smiled a little, seeing the way she was looking at him. It wasn't so long ago that he was apologising to her for hurting her feelings, letting her down easily like a schoolgirl with a crush on her teacher.

"You wouldn't understand." He told her. "How could you? You were in that...place."

"What happened to you?" She asked him. "I don't know anything about you before you came to Corinth."

"I don't talk about it." He told her. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Everyone has something to talk about." She replied gently, putting a hand on his knee. "Where did you come from?"

"Kansas." He replied quietly. "I came from a small town. I don't think there were ever more than a hundred people living there my whole life. I grew up on my family's farm. It was about 50 acres."

"What was it like?" She asked him. Hicks settled back into the couch and cast his mind back to those days. Despite the events of the day, he couldn't help getting a little smile as he thought about it.

"It was a little wooden house; it had been in the family for years. All my family lived there when I was a kid. My grandmother, my parents, both my sisters and all three of my brothers. It was a pretty cramped house. We used to get under each other's feet all the time." He began the story, thinking about it. "We had mainly corn fields, but we also raised a couple of pigs and some chickens. I used to love the way it would smell in the summer."

"It sounds beautiful." She told him, thinking about her own upbringing by comparison, never seeing the sun until after she escaped with Gem in her teens. He nodded.

"The next nearest neighbour was almost a mile away, but we would meet up every single day after school to play." He told her fondly. "Her name was Jessica. We spent every day together, told each other everything. We were inseparable, but we never realised what we meant to each other until she came back from college. She had dropped out because she missed me too much. We fell in love quickly afterwards. I still can't believe for all those years we never figured out we were made for each other."

He looked at her and shook his head.

"This, the military, the wider world, none of it ever held any interest for me." He informed her. "My brothers and sisters married and moved to neighbouring or into town. My parents and my grandmother stayed there. I was set to marry Jessica and just spend my days at the farm."

"It all sounds so wonderful; I can understand why you didn't want to leave." Gemma told him.

"On the night of my wedding, the whole family came to the farm to celebrate." He continued, recalling the night. "My brothers were so drunk that they left the door open and the dog got out. I told Jessica he would come back, but she was so worried that he'd get lost she insisted I go after him. When I got outside, I saw a swarm in the sky. At first I thought it was locusts, but then I realised they were aircraft. I tried to run back to the farm to warn everyone, but one of them opened fire."

He poured himself another glass, looking at it as a tear ran down his face. He could remember the scene so vividly.

"The house was reduced to nothing but burning timber in a single blast." He told her. "I tried to get near to it to see if I could find any survivors, but the flames were too hot, I just couldn't get close, no matter how hard I tried."

"I can't imagine what that was like." Gemma told him sympathetically, moving over next to him and putting her arm around him. "I was pretty close to one of my handlers, and Dr. K was my friend..."

"In one night, I watched everyone that ever mattered to me in the world, my whole family being destroyed." He interrupted her. "I made my way to Corinth with a few survivors, and I signed up the second I arrived. All I wanted was to destroy the thing that had taken everything from me. When I found out about Dr. K, I couldn't contain myself. I didn't care about anything but taking her out. When I had that blaster pointed at her, all I wanted was to pull the trigger. I didn't care about what would happen to the dome if she didn't help the Rangers, and that scares me. I'm trusted to protect this city, and I nearly let my own feelings betray that duty."

"You didn't though." Gemma reminded him. "You did what was right when it mattered, and that's what counts."

"I just don't know if I can face the Colonel again after this." He told her. "He had so much faith in me, and I shot him. I should have known he only ever has Corinth's best interests at heart. I don't think I can ever face him again."

Gemma just hugged him in a comforting gesture. Hicks was unsure at first, but eventually settled into the hug, before she released him. She looked into his eyes and smiled.

"I need to go now; will you be alright by yourself?" She asked him. He nodded gently. "I'll come around tomorrow to check on you alright?"

"Thanks Gemma." He told her, getting up from the chair and showing her out. "I know you're Dr. K's friend, I'd have understood..."

"I'd like to think I'm your friend too." She replied softly. "I'll be back tomorrow alright?"

Late at night, over at Corinth hospital, Benny was maintaining his vigil by Fresno Bob's bed. Since Ziggy had given him the transfusion, he had regained consciousness, but was still weak. He fidgeted a little on his bed as he tried to get comfortable.

"I keep telling you, visiting hours are over." Benny told him. "I'm only allowed in here because I'm listed as your next of kin."

"I never wanted him to find out Benny." Bob told him sadly. "Do you think he'll ever forgive me?"

"I really don't know, I couldn't tell you." He replied. "He'll visit when he's ready, I'm pretty sure there are a lot of questions he'd like the answer to."

"You want visitors? Will I do?" Marcus asked them. Benny turned on the spot, lunging for him, only to find himself sprawled on the floor unconscious with a single blow. Fresno Bob looked around for a weapon, but Marcus grabbed him. "You're Fresno Bob, the most powerful gangster in Corinth."

"Do you think I'm afraid to die?" Bob asked him. "I've been under threat of death so many times..."

"What makes you think I want to kill you?" Marcus asked him. "I want to put you back on top. In case you haven't noticed, the city's tearing itself apart without you."

"What are you talking about?" Fresno Bob asked him. "What do...?"

"A little history lesson for you Bob, when the Roman Empire was under threat, they would dissolve the senate and elect one man to lead them." He explained. "When you were in charge, there was order, without that, everyone's fighting among themselves. I'm planning on restoring order, and I need your help to do it."

"You're serious about taking on the others aren't you?" Fresno Bob asked him.

"Not just taking them on, but taking them out." He replied. "I plan to give this city the order and the peace it deserves, but even I can't do that alone. I want to put the scorpions back on top."

"What makes you think you can do all this?" Fresno Bob asked him. "You're just one man..."

"I'm one man, but I'm not human." He replied. "Does the name D46 mean anything to you?"

"You're the infiltrator that led the resistance forces in the wastes." Fresno Bob gasped. "You're here?"

"I am, and I'm willing to help." Marcus replied, making his way to the door. "When you get out of here, I'll be in touch. Until then, I have work to do."

By the time he left, Benny was just regaining consciousness. He looked up to Bob with a worried look, seeing him sitting up on the bed.

"Bob, are you alright?" He asked him.

"Get a doctor and sort out a car; I'm getting out of here." Bob instructed him. "I'm checking out."

"Bob, you know that's a dumb move." Benny told him. "You're still recovering, you..."

"I'm alright, I'm better than alright Benny." He told him, turning to get off the bed. Benny helped him to his feet as he realised he wasn't going to be denied. Bob looked to the door and smiled. "I think things in this city might have just gotten a little brighter."


	26. Family Issue

Tenaya was sitting, unable to speak as she looked at the watch. She and Summer had now wound the watch and listened to it almost a dozen times since they had discovered the secret of the keys. Tenaya looked down at the worn antique watch.

"I remember this." She told Summer softly. "I gave this to him; I gave it to him for everything he's done for me."

"Tenaya, I know..."

"We were on our own for a long time, I remember having a mother for a short time, but I don't remember my father." She continued, thinking about the scattered and haphazard mental images she was getting. "For most of the time I can remember, it was just me and my brother. He cared for me."

Summer looked at her a little sympathetically. Given their 'misunderstanding' earlier, she couldn't have foreseen having this connection to Tenaya, but right now her heart was breaking for her, and not for herself. She wished there was some way she could help her remember.

"I remember living in a small apartment; my brother and I shared a bed until mom could afford another bed." Tenaya told her. "I found her on the day she died."

"You remember that?" Summer asked her regretfully. Tenaya nodded as the images came back to her.

"I woke up early and I was hungry, so I went to find mom." She told her. "When I called, she never gave me an answer, which was odd because she was always protective of us. When I went over and shook her, I felt her arm and she was cold. She had died during the night. I felt like I'd never stop screaming."

"I don't know what to say." Summer said honestly. "I can't imagine..."

"He came in and he just held me." Tenaya recalled, ignoring Summer's reassurance. "He just held me and tried to assure me everything would be alright. He kept telling me that we'd manage, but I could never imagine a way I'd cope without mom."

Summer held her as she recalled what had happened to her. Tenaya just handed her the watch, unable to think.

"I don't remember anything about what happened to us in the years after she died." Tenaya told her. "I just remember him looking after me and making sure I'd be alright."

"Tenaya, do you remember anything about what happened to you before?" Summer asked her. She nodded.

"I remember having a friend, someone who used to hold me and talk to me, one who didn't treat me like an object of pity." Tenaya told her. "She used to let me play with her despite not being able to see what I was doing. I only told her once that I liked one of her dolls. When she asked me what I liked about it..."

"...You said it was the dress." Summer finished with a slightly bemused look on her face. Tenaya looked at her in confusion. "You said it was the way it felt, the way is smelled, it was completely unlike everything else you played with."

"Are you saying...?"

"Tenaya, I'm certain of it. You are Julie Kitchner." Summer told her as a few tears formed in her eyes. "You were my first and closest friend."

"I can't believe after all this I finally found out who I was." Tenaya gasped, realising she was right. She closed her eyes and reached out a hand towards Summer's face. She simply closed her eyes, allowing her to drag her fingertips across her face without inadvertently hurting her eyes. Summer opened her eyes, finding Tenaya sobbing gently. All she could do was hold her to her chest as Tenaya wept.

"I can't believe I've found you." Summer told her. "I can't believe that..."

"Summer, I can't let him stay like this." Tenaya pleaded with her. "He's done everything for me. He helped me and he comforted me. He looked after me after mom died."

"If there's an answer Dr. K will find it." Summer said reassuringly. "She'll help him beat this, I swear it."

"I know if anyone can sort this out she will." Tenaya replied sadly. "I know it."

Over at the prison, Alexander De Winter was sitting in his cell, quietly reading a book of poems by Edgar Allen Poe. He was interrupted as Vasquez came into the room, accompanied by two guards. He got down on his knees and held his hands behind his head as was protocol for solitary confinement.

"Someone sent you a message." Vasquez told him, handing him a piece of pink paper. He looked to her with a small smirk.

"You're opening my mail?" He asked her. "Don't you think that's a little rude?"

"You're in solitary; you don't have rights to unrestricted mail." Vasquez told him, thrusting it into his chest, before letting it fall to the ground. "I have no idea why anyone would want to send you a sheet of blank paper, but who am I to question your rights?"

"You know you're a pretty young woman." De Winter told her. "You know if..."

"Sorry, I don't go out with old men." She said bitterly. "Enjoy your mail."

"Actually, I wanted to ask you a favour." He told her. "I'm willing to confess."

"We already...."

"I'm willing to solve nearly 60 years' worth of cases for you." He told her. "I will give you all the information you need, I only ask one thing. I want Samantha Livingstone to sit in as the forensic expert."

"I don't..."

"If you don't want to solve the biggest cases in history, be my guest." He taunted her. "It means nothing to me."

"You will be in high security restraints throughout the interview." She informed him. "I'll set it up."

De Winter just smiled as she left. His plan was taking shape.

Meanwhile, in Venjix's fortress, General Killobyte was working on a few circuit boards within Shifter's latest creation, the generation 16 attack bot intended as Venjix's new body. He finished shortly before Shifter arrived, stepping into view.

"Master Venjix, the programming is perfect." Shifter declared proudly. "With this new body, you will be indestructible."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Killobyte replied sarcastically. "Master Venjix, surely you will not simply trust your existence to this fool's creation?"

"I have created everything..."

"And every time you have failed!" Killobyte interrupted him. "I merely propose a demonstration before you ask Master Venjix to download himself into this...toy."

Shifter picked up a handset, activating the attack bot. It turned and fired a blast as Venjix, causing minor damage, before being disabled by Killobyte. Shifter looked on in horror.

"Shifter! You have failed for the last time!" Venjix declared loudly, its eye burning furiously. "You are banished from this place! Leave and never return!"

Shifter glared at Killobyte, wordlessly declaring his intention to avenge this outrage, before grabbing what was left of the attack bot and leaving. Killobyte came to the middle of the room and faced his master.

"While we are discussing progress, I just wanted to let you know that my plan to return one of our more...troublesome projects to us." He told his master.

"I am glad to hear at least one of my generals is competent." Venjix replied. "I look forward to seeing results for a change."

Back in Corinth, the Yo-Yo brothers, Jake and Eric were sitting, absent-mindedly performing tricks. The crowd of people in their private box were utterly impressed by their tricks, though it was uncertain whether that was down to genuine interest, the intimidation of being in the same room as two of the most powerful men in Corinth, or genuine interest.

Jake was wowing the crowd with "rocking the cradle" when a loud crash came from the lower floor of their building. Both he and Eric came through in time to watch a man in a black leather jacket, a helmet and gas mask was shoving his way through the crowd. He went to the cage, destroying any interest in the fight going on, before entering.

Both fighters were uncertain, but Marcus said nothing. The first lunged for him, but found himself dumped on the floor with dismissive ease. The other swung a punch, which the stranger caught, before knocking him unconscious with a single punch. He looked up to the viewing area as the Yo-Yo brothers stared at him.

"I have a proposition." Marcus barked through the house mike. "I will defeat all of your top 10 fighters, and you within the hour. If I do, I'm in charge."

Eric just laughed, but looked down to the pit at Marcus.

"Which one do you want first?" He asked.

"First?" Marcus asked him. "I want them all at once. I have a busy night."

Jake just nodded, at which point 10 fighters entered the arena. They all surrounded him but Marcus just shrugged dismissively.

"This is your top 10?" He asked derisively, shaking his head. "This is a joke."

The first rushed Marcus, screaming as he threw an attack, but Marcus simply slammed a blow to his jaw, causing the jaw, causing the vertebrae to shatter under the blow. The man landed in a crumpled heap on the floor, unmoving and without breathing while everyone else just watched in awe.

Marcus prepared to defend himself against the other nine.

Sam came into the room with a pair of military security officers to find De Winter sitting, waiting on her. He was wearing a massive restraint that could only be described as a metal straitjacket, holding him in place. He seemed to have no fear at all about the questioning to come.

"You asked me here, so what do you want to tell me?" Sam asked, thinking that she'd love to know Flynn was nearby.

"I just wanted to see you." He told her with a smirk. "You are a pretty young woman. The Blue Ranger is a lucky man."

"We are not here to discuss my love life." She replied coldly. "You said..."

"You know, it is a shame your beauty will not save you." He interrupted her. Sam turned back to him.

"You said you have important information." She reminded him. "Now..."

"I have no doubt I will be the cause of this city's downfall." He told her.

"What makes you think that?" Sam asked him. He just smiled at her.

"Hydrogen is the only element which has both the elemental and atomic weight number the same." He told her. "That number is 1!"

With that, the restraints all sprang open, leaving him free. He quickly disposed of the guards as Sam searched for a weapon. She found herself grabbing it just as a strong grip stopped her.

She looked up to find De Winter standing over her, holding her in a painful wrist lock. He sneered at her as he twisted her wrist.

"How did you know the access code to your restraints?" She asked him. De Winter just smirked in response.

"You and I are going on a little trip." He told her. With that, he dragged her to a car and sped away. She had no choice but to go with him, he would and could easily kill her. All she could do was wait obey him and hope that someone would realise her plight before it was too late.

As the Rangers all rushed away to tackle a Venjix attack, Sam felt herself hating the fact she knew so much about Project Ranger. That was the only reason she had been taken. De Winter led her into the main room of the Garage after they all left to tackle the Heat Bot.

"Apparently Venjix wants to retrieve some lost technology." He told her. "He wants D44."

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" She shrieked, pulling into herself as much as she could. "Please..."

"Then you are of no worth to me." He replied. Dr. K ran out of her lab, levelling a blaster in his direction. He pulled Sam between them.

"You are not getting into that lab." Dr. K declared loudly. "Let her go!"

"If you don't drop the blaster, I'll snap her neck like a twig." De Winter warned her, grabbing Sam in a choke hold. "She'll be dead before she hits the floor."

"Please, just do what he says." She pleaded tearfully.

"I can't give up Dillon." Dr. K told her. "If I do that..."

"Dr. K, please just do it, I can't risk the life of my child!" She yelled back. "I'm pregnant!"

"You're what?" Dr asked, lowering her weapon. Looking into Sam's eyes she could see that she was telling the truth. As much as she didn't want to give up Dillon, she knew that De Winter would have no qualms about killing Sam. She dropped her weapon and turned around.

"I know where Dillon is." She replied. "I'll take you to him."

"Good girl." Alex replied coldly. Dr. K had no choice but to lead the way as he dragged Sam after him. She took her place by the stasis pod and typed in the access code. As the lid slid open, Dillon sat up, before manoeuvring himself out of it.

"D44, you are aware who your master is, are you not?" Alex asked him.

"I am." Dillon responded. He looked at Sam and Dr. K like a butcher looking at a cow. "Should I...?"

"No, Venjix has other plans for you." Alex instructed him as he accessed the communications system. He allowed Venjix access to speak directly to Dillon. "Of course, you will first have to show where your loyalties truly lie."

"I will do anything you ask my master." Dillon told him. De Winter smirked as he saw Dillon on his knees.

"The woman is important to the Blue Ranger, so restrain her, but do not kill her. They need to know what we will do. As for Dr. K, I owe her too much to simply slay her before she sees the results of her work. She is also not to be killed." Venjix told him. "Kill De Winter. Destroy him!"

Alex reached for a blaster as he saw Dillon turn his gaze his way, but Dillon swatted it away with dismissive ease, before catching his wrist in a grip that shattered the bones. He looked him straight in the eyes. "Should I master Venjix?" He asked.

"All human life is worthless." Venjix reminded him. "Bid him farewell, then come to me D44."

With that, Dillon slammed him down into a seated position on the floor. Alex screamed as Dillon clamped a hand either side of his head and began squeezing. He did so until even De Winter could hear the cracking of his skull giving way. Dillon spun his head sharply, shattering his neck as he looked at Sam.

He walked over reaching out with a finger as she flinched away.

"This is the beginning of the end human." He said coldly as he looked between her and Dr. K. "Tell the Rangers that I will be back for them."

As he got into his car and left at breakneck speed, Sam breathed a sigh of relief that she was still alive. She knew Venjix had only left her alive so that they would know exactly what had happened to him. Looking over at De Winter's corpse, she knew things could be worse. Dr. K looked at her in amazement.

"You were telling the truth, weren't you?" Dr. K asked her. Sam nodded to confirm this as Dr. K hugged her.

"I found out two days ago, I haven't had a chance to tell Flynn." She replied, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry Dr. K, I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright Sam, I understand." She replied as she looked sadly to the door. "We'll get Dillon back. I'm not sure how, but we will. We have to."

Soldiers rushed into a warehouse deep within the Yo-Yo brother's territory after the anonymous tip, finding a scene of complete devastation. Broken bodies lay all over the place, many of them groaning and writhing in pain, while others lay lifelessly still. Colonel Truman looked around, his mouth opens in disbelief.

"What the hell happened in here?" He asked out loud.

"Sir, I think you'll want to see this." One of the soldiers called from the fighting cage in the middle of the room. He bent down, handcuffing one of the people lying in the cage. "The Yo-Yo brothers are here!"

"There's enough evidence in this room to put everyone here away for a long time!" Another soldier told him. Colonel Truman ran into the cage where a soldier was helping Eric to his feet.

"Who did this?" He asked him. Uncharacteristically, Eric's eyes were filled with fear. "Who did this?"

"It was only one man, but he destroyed everyone like we were nothing." He told them, babbling like a lunatic as he shuddered at the recollection of the night.

"You're telling me one man did all this?" Colonel Truman asked him, panning his hand across the room. Eric nodded.

"He warned us that he'd be back if we ever started up again." Eric told him. "He said his name was D46."

"The infiltrator from the wastes." Colonel Truman gasped as he remembered meeting him at the factory assault. "He's in Corinth?"

Eric just nodded wordlessly as the guards took him away. Colonel Truman looked around in amazement at the scene of destruction. D46 was in Corinth, and for whatever reason he had gone after and single-handedly destroyed one of the Cartels. He had accomplished in one night what the military had failed to do since the dome had been sealed. He had defeated one of the Cartels for good. Colonel Truman just wished he knew why.

The Rangers came back from their battle, a little worse for wear. As they arrived, they saw Dr. K and Sam on the couch, looking at them sadly. Flynn rushed over to his girlfriend, taking her hand.

"What happened pet? What's got you so upset?" He asked her as he comforted her. Sam looked up at him with tears running down her face.

"Dillon's gone." She told him. Summer and Tenaya looked at each other a little uneasily.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Summer asked her. "He was in stasis, he..."

Her words tailed off as she followed Sam's gaze to De Winter's broken corpse. His head was facing the wrong direction, and was only half the width it should be, looking somewhat like an empty pillow case, indicating that his neck and skull had been shattered.

"He took me hostage and forced us to release him." She continued. "Dillon killed him and then left to go to Venjix's palace. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Why did you bring him here?" Summer demanded of her angrily, shoving Dillon aside and grabbing Sam, shaking her roughly. "Why did you do this? You traded your life for his?"

"I didn't have a choice..."

"Any of us would have died before turning him over!" Summer screamed at her. "You selfish..."

"I wasn't thinking of myself!" Sam shrieked. "I'm pregnant!"

Flynn looked at her, a little stunned by the revelation.

"You're...whit?" He asked her softly. She just nodded and sobbed gently.

"I only found out two days ago." She told him. "I'm sorry Flynn, I wanted to tell you, I was waiting for the perfect time, I didn't want this..."

He knelt before her, taking her hands in his and smiled at her. He was as worried about Dillon as anyone, but he couldn't help feeling happy at learning that he was going to have a child with the woman he loved.

"I love you." He whispered as he looked at her. "I'm going to be a dad?"

"You'll make a great dad." Sam told him, stroking his cheek gently. She looked up to Summer, seeing her standing there on the verge of tears. "Summer, I'm sorry..."

"No Sam, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled." Summer told her sympathetically. "I'm just worried about Dillon."

"It appears we have something else to worry about." Dr. K told them as she checked her computer screen. "The robot that attacked you, it looks like it uploaded the base codes to the Ranger technology."

"What does that mean?" Scott asked her.

"It means that it can take control of any of your weapons." She told him regretfully. "It means we're defenceless against it."

"It's Shifter's creation." Tenaya told them. "If he created it, the blueprints to it will be on the palace computers."

"No!" Ziggy snapped, realising where she was going with this. "You can't go..."

"If I don't get those codes, we're sitting ducks, and I'm the only one who knows enough about the palace to get in and find the computer." She told him abruptly. "I have to go."

She took off her morpher, handing it to Ziggy. She looked at him one last time, before kissing him passionately.

"Please, be careful." He told her, holding her hand. "I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you. I love you."

"I love you too." She replied, before turning and leaving. Summer held him warmly as he watched her go, feeling every inch of his pain. She knew what it was to lose the one she loved to Venjix, and knew the fear and pain that plagued him. All he could do now was wait and hope that she could accomplish her mission and return to him. Otherwise, all hope was lost.


	27. Tenaya's Quest

Tenaya made her way cautiously through the wastes as she found her way back to Venjix's fortress. She could not believe that she had any reason to want to go back there given what it had done to her, but she knew that she was the only one that had any chance of getting the codes.

As she watched a patrol go by, knowing it would be several minutes until they came back, she ran to the fortress and forced the door open.

Back in Corinth, Ziggy was sitting on the couch, absent-mindedly watching some late-night soap opera or other while the others slept. Summer, who also couldn't sleep since Dillon had left, came into the room, finding him staring at the screen vacantly. She came to the sofa and sat down, putting her arm around him.

"What's on?" She asked him. He just shrugged.

"I don't know." He told her. "To be frank I don't care."

"She'll be fine Ziggy; she worked for Venjix for months." Summer reminded him. "If anyone knows how to get in and out of that place unseen it's her."

"She shouldn't be out there alone." Ziggy replied sadly. "I know she has to go into the fortress alone, but the wastes are dangerous. D46 is out there and..."

"She'll be fine Ziggy; she knows what she's doing." Summer assured him. He looked at her a little unconvinced.

"I can't lose her." He said simply. "Not after all this, I just can't."

"My sister will be back, it'll take more than this to keep her from you." Summer assured her. "I promise you, she will be back."

Back at the fortress, Tenaya made her way cautiously through the corridors of the fortress. By now, she knew that her defection would have been relayed to all of Venjix's troops, and so she could count on having no allies here.

She rounded another corner, watching cautiously as a couple of Grinders made their way past on their patrol. She waited until they were gone before running to the computer room. She knew it would be a while until the external patrols would find the door and alert the palace, so she didn't have long. As much as she hated resorting to using the technology inside her, she activated the USB link in her right index finger and plugged it into the computer. The upload only took a couple of minutes, but she was sure that was already too long. As she turned to leave, Dillon stepped into view, wearing a new figure-hugging leather jumpsuit. He smirked at her as he came into the light.

"I really hope you aren't going to choose the losing side little sis." He taunted her as he stepped onto the bridge.

"Your name is Freddy." She told him, looking around to find a way out of the battle. "You're Freddy and I'm Julie, we both..."

"You're saying this like it should matter to me." He interrupted her. "This body is a vessel and nothing else. I don't care who it was before."

"Well I do!" Tenaya told him, adopting a guarding stance. "I want my brother back!" Dillon just sneered at her, before also adopting a guard.

Back in the dome, Flynn held Sam warmly in his arms as the Rangers all awaited the order to act. As much as they all wanted nothing more than to simply rush into the city and look for Shifter and his attack bot, they knew that acting before Tenaya got the codes would only potentially put everyone in danger.

Sam looked into Flynn's eyes, smiling as she did so. She had never anticipated things going this way, but she was happy to know what was happening. She wanted nothing more than to be the mother of the Blue Ranger's child.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." She sighed as she settled into his arms. "I didn't mean to keep it from you; I just wanted to wait until the time was right."

"I understand lass; I don't blame you, in case you haven't noticed I'm flying." He told her as he hugged her tightly. "I can't believe I'm going to be a dad."

"What do you think your dad will say?" Sam asked him. Flynn just chuckled.

"He'll not be over the moon about being called grandpa, but I'm sure he'll live." Flynn assured her. "He'll be as happy as I am to know there's a wean coming."

"Wean?" She asked him gently. He nodded, causing her to smile. "I like that. It's our little wean."

Flynn just held her as he looked mournfully at Summer and Ziggy, who were pacing impatiently in the corner awaiting Tenaya's return. He looked to Sam and smiled, unable to feel anything but happiness as he looked on the mother of his child.

"We're going to get through this, all of us." He assured her. "We're going to destroy Venjix, and then I'm going to take you and our child to Scotland. I want you both to see that."

"It sounds wonderful." Sam told him. "What would you like us to see?"

"All of it." He whispered in her ear, kissing her softly. "From the peace and quiet of Wick, right down to Hadrian's wall."

"It all sounds great." She told him, rubbing a hand gently across her belly. "Just to think, if it hadn't been for Venjix, we might never have met."

"We were destined to meet pet." He assured her, looking down on her. "I'm sure of it. Nothing this perfect could happen by chance."

Just then, the alarm went off. Dr. K looked at the screen in horror.

"Shifter's attack bot is back." She told them. "There's nothing we can do..."

"I'll go in the Paeleomax Megazord." Scott interrupted her. "If I can keep it under control, deploy the others."

"He has the base codes for the operating systems!" Dr. K reminded him. "He can take control, you can't..."

"If I don't go there won't be a city left to defend." He answered her. As she looked down to her feet, he cradled her chin softly in his hand, lifting it so she could look into his eyes. "I need to go."

"I know, I just..." Without another word, she just launched herself at him, hugging him tightly. Scott held her, smiling contentedly as she held him, before parting from her. He looked down at her.

"Download the zords." He told her, knowing that any assurance of love or promises to return would be lost on her given her intellect. "I'll do what I can."

"Please just be safe." She begged him, turning back to her work. Scott turned and ran out of the Garage, morphing as he did so.

Tenaya could taste the blood welling up in her mouth as Dillon slammed her to the ground. Despite all she meant to him, Venjix's programming had taken over completely. She looked up at him as he advanced.

"You have to fight this; you can't do this to me!" She screamed at him. "I don't want to fight you..."

"That's your problem then, isn't it?" He replied. "You always were so weak and helpless; no wonder Venjix had me replace you."

He paced around her slowly as she got to her feet and snorted in disgust at her.

"I coddled you for your entire life. I remember that now." He told her. "I used to take you everywhere because you couldn't do it yourself. You always relied on everyone else like a helpless little child."

"I don't remember much of it." Tenaya told him as she rotated slowly, keeping him in view to prevent him launching a surprise attack. "I just know..."

"You were a pathetic, worthless little girl." He interrupted her. "You were useless and weak, if I'd had any sense; I'd have drowned you as a baby and spared you the cruel joke of life."

"That isn't you talking." Tenaya replied as tears rolled down her face. "My brother loved me; he would never be that cruel."

"Maybe I can just say what he wouldn't because I'm not restrained by morality." He suggested. "I remember all of it. I remember the day we found mom, the day we were left alone. I remember the way I felt when I found out that I was responsible for bringing you up, for putting the clothes on your back and the food in your mouth."

He came closer as her hands dropped and she sobbed gently. He leaned in closely to whisper in her ear.

"I remember carrying you like a dead weight since the night our mother died. You were worthless then, and you're worthless now." He told her. "I can see why the Green Ranger likes you, you are both pathetic..."

She spun around, connecting a huge punch to his jaw and sending him to the floor with a savage yell. She looked down on him, sniffing back as many tears as she could.

"Say what you want about me, but NEVER talk about Ziggy like that!" She warned him as he pulled himself to his feet. "You are the one who's weak. Yes I was blind, and yes, I relied on others but I never once gave up!"

"You..."

"Shut up!" She screamed at him. "If you want to try and stop me, be my guest. I know you aren't my brother."

"I am..."

"My brother was kind and helpful and he always took care of me." Tenaya interrupted him. "He could never be as cruel and heartless as you."

Dillon rushed her, but Tenaya side-stepped him, ramming him face-first into the console, knocking him unconscious. For a second she considered taking him with her, but Grinders came into the room, sending a hail of fire her way. She knew she couldn't make it if she was carrying his weight, and had no option but to flee with the information she had gathered.

She gave one last, longing look back as she ran from the guards, seeing them dragging him away and wept as she ran. She swore that she would get her brother back some day and repay him for everything he had done for her, but right now, she would help no one by being destroyed. Now wasn't the time to fight, it was the time to cut losses and run.

The Rangers arrived on the scene as Scott was dumped on the ground. He clutched his chest in pain as he rolled around.

"It's taken the Paleomax Megazord!" He told them. "We can't stop it!"

"Yes we can!" Tenaya replied as she arrived. "I just gave the base codes to Dr. K, we can take him."

Ziggy came over to her, recalling his helmet as he did so and looked deeply into her eyes. He pulled her close and kissed her, before handing her back her morpher.

"It's good to have you back." He stated as he held her. Tenaya smiled at him, before strapping the morpher to her wrist.

"Come on guys, we have a new formation to try out." She told them. "RPM, Get in gear!"

Dillon came to, finding himself shackled into a chair that closely resembled a dentist's chair, with tentacle-like arms bearing surgical tools and syringes. Crunch came into the room, looking at him and giggling frantically.

"You really screwed up letting your sister get away." Crunch told him. "If it wasn't for the fact Venjix wants Shifter destroyed, you'd already be scrap."

"When Master Venjix wants me to act, I will be ready." Dillon replied. "She won't escape again."

"I only wonder how hard you tried to stop her." Killobyte told him as he walked into the room. "After all, now you are in the position of having to fight and destroy your sister and your girlfriend..."

"Summer's my fiancée." Dillon corrected him. "You don't need to worry; I will finish her just as surely as I'll destroy my worthless sister."

Back at the Garage, the Rangers returned following their battle with Shifter's attack bot, but they were considerably more subdued than they should be. Summer held Tenaya as she sat on the couch.

"We'll get him back." Summer assured her. "It wasn't him; he'd never have hurt you like that."

"I just wish I could have brought him back." Tenaya replied sadly. "I'm sorry Summer, I tried, I really tried but..."

"We know you couldn't have done anything different." Ziggy replied as he sat next to her, holding her hand. "If you could have brought him home, we know you would have."

"I owe him so much." Tenaya whispered. "I don't remember much, but I do know he looked after me. I relied on him for everything."

"We'll get him back." Summer repeated, stroking her hair gently. "I promise we'll get him back."

"That means a lot." She told her. "There is one more thing though, my name."

"What about it?" Summer asked her. Tenaya smiled and looked at her.

"I love the fact I know who I was now, but I don't feel like I can go back to being that person." She told her. "Julie was a different person. I just don't feel like her. I don't want to use that name."

"That's fine Tenaya." Summer assured her warmly. She smiled, before turning to Ziggy. He just nodded in approval.

"I fell in love with Tenaya." He told her. "It doesn't matter what you want to call yourself, I'll still love you."

Scott cleared his throat, causing all the others to look at him, before jerking his head to the door.

"I think Dr. K needs to debrief us." He said diplomatically. "Ziggy, I can fill you and Tenaya in later."

With that, the others left the room. Tenaya sighed, staring into her chest.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened to him." Ziggy told her. "It isn't him, it's Venjix that's making him act this way."

"He said a lot of things to me, stuff that he shouldn't have known." Tenaya told the Green Ranger. "Is it possible that's what he really thought of me? That he really hated me like that?"

"Venjix probably just made him say those things to hurt you." Ziggy told her as he caressed her cheek with his hand. "It was probably just a plot to stop you from fighting him."

"I don't think I can." She whispered to him. "If push comes to shove, I don't think I could hurt him."

"You won't have to." He assured her. "We'll get him back, I know it."

"I really wish I could believe that." Tenaya said as she rested her head on his chest. Ziggy just held her as she curled into him, unable to find anything useful to say. Right now, all he could offer her was a hug.


	28. Family

Fresno Bob was sitting in the private box at the racetrack, having some breakfast. Benny wrinkled his nose slightly at the massive plate of fried foods stacked in front of him.

"You heard the doctors; I have to keep my strength up." He told his friend with a shrug. Benny just shook his head.

"Bob, not even two days ago they didn't know you would survive." He reminded him. "You should be in hospital, not here, and certainly not eating that! Are you trying to end up back in hospital?"

"Trust me, one more day of hospital food and I'd have been going to a psychiatric unit." Bob told him. "Have you ever tasted that shit?"

"I used to be a bare-knuckle fighter; you know I'm no stranger to hospital food." Benny reminded him, pouring his boss some OJ. "You had a sword rammed straight through you, you need to recover..."

"For the love of God, if I wanted to hear this much bitching I'd have gotten married!" Bob interrupted him sharply. "If it makes you feel any better I promise I'll have a salad or something later on."

"So you never married her." He heard from the door. He turned around, seeing Ziggy and Tenaya standing in the doorway.

"Ziggy, you came?" Fresno Bob asked him gently. He knew that Ziggy would want to come and talk to him sooner or later. Since finding out the truth, he was sure that this conversation would have to happen. He just never expected Ziggy to be ready for it so quickly. Tenaya was holding his hand in a comforting gesture. "Please, sit down. Can I get you anything? Some coffee or..."

"I'm alright thanks." Ziggy interrupted him as he and Tenaya sat down. He looked up at his old boss, his face a somewhat cold and unreadable mask. It was almost worse than if he just hated him. One of the things that made Ziggy a hopeless gangster, but that Bob really liked about him was that he wore his heart on his sleeve. It was almost impossible not to know how he was feeling most days, but right now he couldn't get any bearing on what was going on in his mind. "I just want to talk."

"What do you want to know?" Fresno Bob asked him. "I mean, how much do you know already?"

"I only know that you're my father. After you dumped me on the doorstep of the orphanage, it's all kind of a mystery." He replied sarcastically.

"I guess I deserved that." He grumbled as he shifted uneasily in his chair.

"Does Chas know?" Ziggy asked him. Fresno Bob looked to Benny, who just nodded in understanding before leaving the room. He let out a small sigh as he faced Ziggy and Tenaya. He knew it would be too much to ask to get Tenaya to leave. Ziggy needed her there for him. He shook his head sadly.

"I haven't told him yet." Bob informed him. "Seeing the way things were going with you I wanted to try and settle things up with you first."

"So what happened?" Ziggy asked him. "I thought you and Mr. Winchester were friends."

"We were. When I was working my way up the ranks in the Cartel, he had a number of businesses in the city." Fresno Bob began the story. "While I was making moves to expand the Cartel's influence and bring the city under one rule, I went to some of the city's richest and most influential people. Mr. Winchester could see the advantage of having one Cartel ruling the city and lent us his support. Over time we had many dealings, and in time we became friends. We realised we had a lot in common."

"Like the fact you were both sleeping with his wife." Ziggy snapped. Bob stroked his neck to relieve the tension in his muscles.

"That wasn't something I really planned." He told him. "Charles and I were friends, and we talked about a lot of stuff. We had a lot in common like I said, we both wanted to be more than what we were. He wanted to break out and make a name for himself so people wouldn't see him as a trust fund baby, while I just wanted to clean up the streets and stop the chaos down there. He told me a lot about his life, including how his parents arranged his wedding. I met Denise not long afterwards."

"So you had an affair?" Ziggy asked him. Fresno Bob nodded.

"When I met her, there was a spark between us almost instantly. Although they were married, she and Charles were never really that close. They barely knew each other when they got married. It turned out that they weren't really that great a match." He told the Green Ranger. He got a little smile on his face as he thought about her. "It only lasted a couple of months. Just when things were going well, Charles started to bank-roll some major moves I was making on the last of my competitors. We lost touch a little while after that. It was only recently that Dr. K let me in on the real reason he did that. He was more concerned with everyone finding out his wife was pregnant with another man than the fact his wife cheated on him."

"What about me?" Ziggy asked him. "What about my mother?"

"I met her at a pretty bad time in my life." He told Ziggy. "Her name was Kerry. It was about a year after the war for control of the city started."

"What was she like?" Ziggy asked him, his voice a little quiet as he tried to listen calmly to Fresno Bob's explanation. Tenaya squeezed his hand a little to reassure him.

"She was amazing. She was one of the most beautiful and generous people I've ever met." He told Ziggy. "You're a lot like her you know. She could see the good in anybody. She always looked for the bright side of things."

He reached into his wallet, pulling out a photograph. It was aging, and a little damaged, but it was all he had. Ziggy looked at the photo, running his fingers across it.

"That photo was taken shortly after we got together." He told him. "They were bad times. Things got pretty bad in the city. I watched more than a few friends go to the hospital. Some of them didn't come back out again. There were times that it seemed like there would never be an end to the fighting. At times when it seemed like the world had gone to hell she was always there for me. We loved each other so much. I was over the moon when she told me that I was going to be a dad."

"So what happened?" Ziggy asked him. By now Bob could tell what was going on in his mind. His jaw was clenched tightly, and his eyes were decidedly cold. He knew that Ziggy would always be hurt by the truth, but he also knew he was smart enough to realise that something had to have happened, otherwise they would never have ended up in this situation. Fresno Bob wiped away a tear as he remembered that fateful night.

"It was a hit." He informed Ziggy. "I was closing in on the last few remaining mobs. They were starting to get desperate, and so they came after me. I took her to a safe house, but someone must have leaked the location to them. They came for us in the night."

He poured himself some coffee and took a sip, before looking back to him regretfully. Ziggy couldn't bear to look at him any longer. He grabbed Tenaya's arm, holding it tightly as he started to cry for the mother he couldn't remember.

"We both made it out, but that one incident taught us that I couldn't keep you both safe." Bob told him. "It broke both our hearts, but Kerry and I agreed that as long as the two of you were around, you would only become targets for people who wanted to hurt me. Kerry took you the next day and promised to get you to a good home. I figured it was safest if she didn't tell me where she was taking you."

"So she just left?" Ziggy asked him. Fresno Bob just nodded in response. He pulled out a slightly damaged, old ring box and opened it, showing him a diamond engagement ring.

"Your mother gave that back to me on the day she left." He whispered as he showed it to him. "I never saw her again. It was years later before I heard from her again. She sent me a letter to tell me she was sick and she wanted to make things right in case she didn't get another chance. She wanted me to know that you were safe, she told me that she had put you into an orphanage a few weeks after she left."

"Mom was sick?" Ziggy asked him. "Did she say what was wrong with her?"

"She didn't go into details. She only wanted me to know that you were safe." Fresno Bob replied. "I never heard from her again after that. I don't know what happened to her. Despite the danger, I tried to track her down, but by the time I found the return address, she was gone."

"So you have no idea what happened to her?" Ziggy asked him.

"I taught her a lot. She was very good at covering her tracks." Fresno Bob told him. "Since I didn't know where she was, or what had happened to her, I took what little information I had to track down where you were. When I found you, I knew you'd be safe and happy there..."

"How long?" Ziggy asked him. "How long did you watch me?"

"You were seven years old by the time I found you." He informed the Green Ranger. Ziggy just looked at him in disgust.

"So you just waited another ten years before you even introduced yourself?" Ziggy asked him. "You knew where I was for all that time?"

With that, he got up and stormed out of the room. Tenaya just followed him, trying to catch up with him as Benny came back into the room, finding Fresno Bob in tears. He came over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I take it things didn't go well." Benny asked him. He just shook his head.

"I've ruined the kid's life Benny, how well did you think he'd take it?" Bob asked him. Just then, he looked up to find D46 standing in the corner of the room.

"Sorry to interrupt the domestic." He said a little sarcastically. "I thought you might be interested in the fact the city's still tearing itself apart."

"I read the paper this morning." Fresno Bob replied, holding it up. "Taking out the Yo-Yo brothers in one night single-handed? That's pretty impressive work."

"They were idiots." Marcus stated a little abruptly, picking up a sausage from Bob's plate. He shifted his mask a little to allow him to eat it.

"If you want, I could arrange..."

"This'll do for now." He interrupted Bob. "I'm more interested in finding a way to bring down the others. I have a feeling they'll be a little more subtle in their operations."

"Now the word's out that someone's after the Cartels, everyone's going to be gearing up for war." Bob reminded him. "What do you need?"

"Information." Marcus answered him. "I need information and enough ammo to raise some hell."

"I think I might be able to help you on both counts." Bob answered.

Over in Venjix's fortress, Dillon was wandering the corridors, taking in the layout to get his bearings. He had only been here a short time, and he already had the impression that it was best to know his way around. Given what had happened to Shifter before he arrived, he could tell that loyalty was a relative concept.

He went into the computer room, finding the console guarded by a pair of Grinders. He approached it, only to be stopped. He sneered at the robotic henchmen.

"Really?" He asked them sarcastically. "I'm Venjix's latest general. Do you really think he'd be impressed to know you stopped me doing a little research?"

The grinders looked at each other, before slowly making their way out of the room. He watched them go, before turning to the console and activating it. Since the virus had caused the technology in his body to spread, he now found it easy to read and decipher the lines of code in the computer mainframe. He accessed the files on Shifter's attack bot, smiling as he checked the schematics.

"This was impressive. It would have made an excellent host for Master Venjix." He commented. "The power of that key really gave it a boost."

He checked the schematics of the circuitry and frowned.

"It should never have reacted like that, the schematics were perfect." He stated as he inspected it. A shadow was cast over the computer as someone arrived in the room behind him. Dillon just groaned and turned around to see Killobyte standing behind him.

"What are you doing?" He asked him. "That system..."

"You know maybe if you did a little more research before putting plans into action, the Rangers wouldn't be kicking your ass all over Corinth as often as they do." Dillon told him. "Since one of the missions Venjix has for us is to destroy Shifter, I thought it might be worthwhile finding out a little about him."

"So why are you looking at the schematics for that attack bot?" Killobyte asked him. "It's already been destroyed."

"Well that key thing that Shifter used to energise it is still missing. I thought it might be prudent to find out what weapons might still be in his grasp. Just in case we have to face him. It's called being prepared."

"I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the preparations we should be making." Killobyte told him. "After all, we generals have to stick together."

"If I find anything worth mentioning, I'll let you know." Dillon told him, turning back to the console. Killobyte grabbed him, spinning him back around to face him.

"Just remember who Venjix left in charge." Killobyte warned him. "You hybrids have your uses. It's just a shame all that humanity comes with an unfortunate predilection for turning against the master."

"Perhaps the old ones were simply poorly programmed. Anyone can make a mistake, just look at what happened to Shifter." Dillon told him, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "If I'm not mistaken you were responsible for the infiltrators programme weren't you?"

Killobyte just turned and left the room. Dillon watched him go, making a mental note never to turn his back on him. He could tell that the malfunction in the attack bot had been an act of sabotage, which meant that someone had set Shifter up to take a fall. He already had his reservations about Killobyte, but he was being careful not to underestimate Crunch. Right now it could be either of them, and if one of them had betrayed Shifter, it seemed likely they were getting rid of the competition. If a power struggle was coming, then he wanted to be ready for it.

Corporal Hicks woke up on the couch in his apartment, having fallen asleep there the night before hand. He covered his eyes with his hand as he got up, groaning loudly. After his trying experience learning the truth about Dr. K, he had spent a long time carefully considering his future. He winced in pain as he heard a knock at the door. Why did people have to knock so loud when someone had a hangover.

He went to the door and opened it, finding Gemma standing outside with Colonel Truman. He rolled his eyes as he remembered she had promised to check on him. Obviously the Colonel had come along too.

"Sorry, I forgot I was expecting company." He told her, showing them in. "Would either of you like some coffee?"

"I try to avoid caffeine, it makes me hyper." Gemma told him. Hicks had to try hard not to laugh as she said this, trying to imagine anything making Gemma even more energetic and reckless.

"I wouldn't mind some." Colonel Truman replied, smelling the bourbon on Hicks as he passed him, he could guess that it was probably a good idea that he straighten himself out. He had felt a little guilty about Hicks' revelation when he tried to bring in Dr. K. He had always considered Hicks a close friend, but it had only brought home the fact that he had never really talked to him about his life before he came to Corinth. It didn't feel good to think he had let him down. "You know how I like it right?"

"Black, no sugar and so strong the spoon stands on end." Hicks replied. "Just the way I like it too."

"How are you feeling?" Gemma asked him as he turned on the coffee pot. Hicks just scratched his head and yawned loudly as he looked out two cups.

"I'm a little tired." He replied, neglecting to mention his hangover. "I didn't sleep too well."

"Hicks, I just wanted to let you know that..."

"Sir, I don't think now's the time to talk about this." Hicks told him. "Just send me my discharge papers. I'll start looking for another job after the weekend."

"You think I'm going to fire you?" Colonel Truman asked him.

"Sir, I shot you in the head." Hicks reminded him.

"It's just as well for you I don't take things like that personally." He replied in a chuckle as Hicks handed him his coffee. "I would appreciate it if you didn't do it again though."

"Sir, I let my feelings get the better of me." He told him. "I almost killed Dr. K. If I'd done that, everything would have been lost."

"Hicks, you aren't the only person who's done something stupid because they were hurt." Colonel Truman told him. "You didn't do it."

"I wanted to though." He replied, taking a long sip. "I was so close to just pulling the trigger."

"The point is that you didn't." Gemma reminded him.

"There is more than one person who has a reason to want revenge on Dr. K; it's the reason we agreed not to make her part in creating Venjix public knowledge." Colonel Truman told him. "I lost my eldest son to Venjix, and I will admit that for a long time it was hard for me to accept her part in it, but in time it became easier for me to realise that she was a victim too."

"Sir..."

"You have more reason than most to hate her." Colonel Truman interrupted him. "You know, I just wanted to apologise to you."

"What do you have to apologise for?" Hicks asked him, looking at him a little curiously.

"You and I have known each other a long time Hicks, I considered you a friend, but this thing has shown me something." He continued. "I've talked to you a lot, and you've listened to me talk about a lot of things, but this has made me realise that I haven't really listened to you. I've let you down as a friend. I'm sorry."

"You were busy..."

"Everyone needs time to grieve." Colonel Truman told him flatly, handing him a card for a therapist. "You haven't taken that time. Maybe it's time you did. I'll give you all the time you need."

"Thank you sir." He replied as the Colonel finished his cup and got up to leave. "Sorry about the head."

"It was a pretty good shot." Colonel Truman complimented him, rubbing the bump on his head. "I really wouldn't like to lose someone like you from my staff. Keep in touch."

"I'll keep you updated." Hicks assured him as he left. Gemma shifted a little on the couch as Hicks finished his coffee.

"So are you going to arrange an appointment?" She asked him. Hicks nodded and put the card away.

"I'll call and make an appointment." He assured her. "I doubt they'll have anything for today."

"So what are you planning to do today?" She asked him. Hicks just shrugged. "Well, are you hungry at least?"

"I guess I am." He replied. "Any ideas?"

"Well, I think you should probably have a shower at least." She suggested. "After that, I know a place that does pretty good pancakes."

"I guess I could do that." He replied, pulling off his T-shirt. "Make yourself at home. I'll be back once I've gotten cleaned up."

"I'll wait here." Gemma told him as he went to the bathroom. She hated to see him like this, and she was glad the Colonel had had a chance to talk to him. It was clear that Hicks needed someone to help him finally move on from what happened to his family, and she was determined to be there for him. He needed his friends, and it looked like he was finally able to let them be there.


	29. For the Children

Mr. McAllister was busy working in his garage. He was currently on a large contract for the military. Given the current state of the streets, their APC's and other vehicles were taking a lot more abuse than normal, and their maintenance departments were back-logged, so they started to out-source much of their work to external labourers. He was happy for the work, and more than happy about the extra money, but he was constantly overworked, and his garage was nowhere near large enough for all the vehicles he had to service.

He was on a trolley, lying under an APC, working on a particularly difficult part. Flynn came in to find him, as usual, talking to the vehicle he was on, and had to try hard not to laugh. The old mechanic always used to talk to the vehicles or parts he was working on, as though somehow hoping that reassuring them would encourage them to be friendly and compliant to his attempts to fix them. Given the tone and the language he was using on this particular repair though, it looked like they weren't getting along.

"I can't believe you used to kiss mum with that mouth." Flynn teased him, crouching near the edge of the vehicle.

"Instead of being a smartarse you could always do something useful and turn the engine over." Mr. McAllister snapped at his son. Flynn reached into the cab, activating the ignition. It rumbled and burst into life, but sounded like it was running more than a little rough. "OK, turn it off!"

Flynn did as he was told, at which Mr. McAllister slid out from under the vehicle and got to his feet.

"Worthless heap of shite!" He snarled, kicking it. "Two hours just to get the bloody thing to start!"

"It's alright, I had a similar problem with the special project I'm working on in the basement back at the Garage." Flynn told him, reaching into the toolbox and fetching out an adjustable spanner. "I brought around some lunch if you're interested, I left it on the counter."

Mr McAllister sat on the nearby bench and wiped off his hands before looking in the bag.

"I was expecting sandwiches, nothing like this." He commented, pulling out a Tupperware container. "Mince and Tatties? What's the occasion?"

"Well I thought you might like something a little more substantial than sandwiches given how much work you have on." Flynn replied as he slid under the vehicle, looking for the problem. "I noticed you have a few more sitting outside."

"This is amazing." Mr. McAllister forced out through a mouthful. "It's just like your mum used to make..."

"Try it now." Flynn told him, at which Mr. McAllister hit the ignition. The vehicle sprang to life, and sounded a lot smoother. Flynn got out from under the vehicle and joined his father. "I didn't have the parts here, so it's just a patch up, but it should hold up for a while. Hopefully at least until they can get it into their own garage."

"Well that's good enough for me." Mr. McAllister responded. He looked to his son warmly as Flynn looked out a portion for himself, seeing the way he was acting and becoming concerned. He was looking around, as though trying not to look at his father, and he was noticeably jumpy. "So why don't you tell me why you're really here?"

"Come on dad, I just came to give you lunch." Flynn told him. "I know how busy you are, in fact..."

"Flynn McAllister, sit down!" He ordered him. Despite the fact he was a grown man, he still had a deep love and reverence for his father. He did so without protest, his father still having that power over him. "You only ever cooked this when you were trying to soften me up for something, now what do you want to say?"

Flynn set down his container and looked at his dad, trying to find the words.

"Sam came to see me the other day, and she gave me some pretty big news." Flynn began nervously. "She's pregnant."

Mr. McAllister just stared at him for a little what seemed like an eternity. Flynn knew his dad could be a little old-fashioned, and he was worried about how he would react to the news. He eventually put down his container and grabbed his son's hand in a powerful grip, shaking his hand.

"Congratulations Flynn my lad!" He called out proudly, hugging him. "I couldn't be happier for you both. How is she?"

"She's still a little nervous, but I think she's coming around to the news." Flynn told him with a smile on his face, relieved that his father had taken the news so well. "I'm all over the place. I'm really happy about the thought of being a dad, but I'm also completely terrified at the same time."

"Trust me, that's always the way." Mr. McAllister said reassuringly. "I remember I almost passed out when I found out your mother was expecting you."

"I'm really glad you're taking this so well." Flynn replied. "I was really nervous about telling you."

"Why would you worry about telling me?" Mr. McAllister asked him.

"Well, I know that you'd probably have preferred it if Sam and I were married." He said honestly. "I know that was the way...why are you laughing?"

"Flynn my lad, do you remember my 10th wedding anniversary?" He asked him. Flynn got a smile on his face.

"I do." Flynn told him. "I had saved up all my pocket money for weeks to get you a present..."

"Do you remember what age you were?" Mr. McAllister asked him. Flynn suddenly paused as he realised what his dad was getting at. He had never really given it much thought before.

"I was 10." He replied, looking at his father in surprise. "I thought..."

"Our parents were really old fashioned, they insisted we get married as soon as we found out." Mr. McAllister told him. "When we told them, it wasn't pretty. Her father especially...well...let's just say I found out what the business end of a shinty stick felt like. Thank God we had gun control back home."

"So you're really OK with this?" Flynn asked him. Mr. McAllister just breathed a small sigh.

"I have to admit that I'd have preferred things to go differently, but all I want is for you to be happy." He admitted as he put his arm around the Blue Ranger. "I see the way the two of you look at each other, and I know you belong together. The most important thing now is what's best for the baby. It'll be lucky to have you."

"Thanks dad, that means a lot to me." He replied. "So when do I get to start calling you Grandpa?"

"If you value your life, then never," he laughed in response, "I know you'll look after her son."

"Thanks dad." Flynn replied, hugging him warmly. "I will."

Over at the Garage, Scott went into the lab, finding Dr. K working frantically on the computers, rushing around wildly. He watched her for a second, smiling a little. While she was still wearing the new tracksuit, she reverted to wearing the lab coat whenever she was working on something particularly stressful. He couldn't help staring at her now that they had finally been able to admit their feelings to each other. He came over to her, grabbing her as she ran into him on her way to another computer.

"Whoa, slow down there, you've been at this for hours now." He told her. "You need to settle down."

"Scott, I can't stop working." She told him, rolling her eyes at his concern. "Venjix is getting stronger all the time, we still have no idea where Shifter is, and Dillon..."

"If there's an answer to all of this, you'll find it. You always do." He assured her as she tried to pull away from him. "You'll be no good to us if you burn out. You can't concentrate properly when you're tired, you know that."

"I need to work on this, please just get out of my way!" She reiterated, trying to pull past her. Scott held her fast and refused to let her past.

"I might not be as smart as you, but I recognise some of these codes." Scott told her sympathetically. "This is the code for Dillon's virus."

"You know I've been working on..."

"Not like this." He interrupted her. "You always worked on it, but lately..."

"It was never an issue while he was in stasis, he was restrained, he wasn't a danger." Dr. K yelled at him, hitting him in the upper chest, causing him to let her go. She ran back to a computer, failing to notice his reaction. Since the battle against Shifter, he had found his chest and shoulder to be a little sore, and quite sensitive to impact. He had chalked it up to an injury he suffered at the hands of Venjix's rogue general, and hadn't bothered to tell anyone about it. Her strike hadn't been that hard, but it felt like he had been punched by Dillon. "Now we have to face him as an enemy. He knows everything about us. I need to find a solution to this..."

"I know what this is all about K." Scott told her. "It isn't your fault."

She paused for a second and turned to face him. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open in shock like she had just been slapped.

"I created the virus that turned him into a cyborg in the first place." Dr. K reminded him. "It created a virus that spread the technology through his body turning him into a helpless slave to its orders. Then, I was the one that released him from the stasis pod. What part of that isn't my fault?"

"You didn't have a choice." Scott reminded her. "De Winter had Sam. If you didn't do what he told you to, he would have killed her, and then he would have killed you too and released Dillon anyway."

"He couldn't have, only I knew the code." Dr. K said as she started to cry. "If I'd just refused..."

"His family made a career out of breaking into the most secure locations in the world undetected for generations." He reminded her as he pulled her into a hug. "He would have released Dillon anyway. If you hadn't done as he said, all you'd have done is put yourself and Sam in danger needlessly."

"I just have to get this, I owe it to Dillon and I owe it to Tenaya." She murmured as she pulled into him tightly.

"You'll get it, I know you will." Scott whispered in her ear as he kissed her cheek. "The answer might come quicker if you give yourself a break. Just sit down and relax a little, the computer will still be there in ten minutes."

Dr. K just nodded and went with him into the main room. She took a seat on the couch, and was quickly joined by Scott. She looked up to him, pulling his arms around her and shifting a little, settling onto his lap.

"This feels nice." Scott told her, adjusting himself to lie on the couch with her, holding her gently.

"I find this settling." She told him. "I understand now why the others take such comfort in each other."

"Well you have a regular supply of hugs waiting right here if you want them." He told her. "I'm here whenever you want me."

She turned around to look at him, but frowned as she noticed him wince in pain and reach for his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" She asked him, looking at him in concern.

"It's nothing, I just took a hard shot the other day when I was fighting Shifter." He told her.

"Are you alright?" She asked him, placing a hand on his injury. "The Ranger Rig should have protected you. I know you sometimes end up with minor injuries..."

"It's sweet that you care so much, but I'm sure it's nothing." He laughed gently, stroking her hair. "I probably just put a little too much strain on it and pulled something when I was training. You know how hard I push myself when I work out."

"Scott, we can't afford to have anyone down right now, you have to be careful." She reprimanded him, grabbing his T-shirt. "Let me look at it, we..."

"You're just trying to get my shirt off." He teased her, grabbing her and pulling her back down into him. "I told you, I'll be fine. Just relax and let me worry about you for a minute."

"I believe it's customary for us to worry about each other." She replied.

"Well would you prefer to worry about a little muscle strain, or do this?" He asked her, pulling into a long, passionate kiss. Dr. K looked up into his eyes as they parted, biting her lip.

"Well when you put it that way, I have always admired your resilience." She replied, pulling back towards him. "I'm sure you'll survive."

Over at Chas' office, he was pacing the room as Colonel Truman relayed the reports of the efforts to secure the city in the wake of the chaos in the streets.

"So you're saying that one of the cartels is gone and things are getting WORSE?" Chas asked him incredulously.

"With the Yo-Yo brothers gone and most of their lieutenants behind bars, their business has collapsed, and their territories were left up for grabs." He told him, pulling a split-screen of the city map, split into different zones that were each coloured differently. Right in the centre, surrounding the Central Command building, was a circle a couple of miles across that was coloured white, indicating that it was under military control. Cordons had been set up, and buildings had been occupied creating a largely impenetrable zone that was, for the most part safe.

To the north-east was an area extending around almost a third of the map, coloured in Blue, indicating that it was in the hands of The Blue Crew. Chas double-tapped the touch screen display to bring up that area. "What are Ronan and his boys up to?" He asked.

"As you know, he and Spike Mike have a thing going back years, long before the Dome. Right now the hot zone is here." Colonel Truman informed him, clicking an area coloured purple that was about five city blocks across, but covered a lot of residential property sitting to their western border north of the military held zone. Spike Mike's territory, marked in green, was on its opposite border, leaving it in the uncomfortable situation of being between the two largest gangs. "They keep gaining and losing ground there by the hour. Both sides are throwing men at it like it's going out of fashion. We've been getting casualties and refugees at the cordon round the clock."

"So how does the Yo-Yo brothers falling off the grid affect that?" Chas asked him.

"Those that fled the factory before our mysterious D46 was finished have found themselves without work." Colonel Truman replied. "Some pictures and intel from the field have shown that a large number of familiar faces have turned up wearing new gang colours."

"Defectors?" Chas asked him.

"I doubt it is that noble. I'd call them mercenaries." Colonel Truman replied. "The field is a lonely place if you suddenly find yourself without your army."

"What's Newmark up to?" Chas asked him, tapping a yellow territory to the south, spanning a little under a quarter of the city and bordering Spike Mike's territory.

"His territory's been amazingly quiet." Colonel Truman commented. "His borders haven't moved for some time. We get no significant casualties or refugees coming out of there. If anything, nothing happens there. There's less activity on his borders than on our own."

"He's playing a waiting game." Chas surmised. "He's letting Spike Mike and Ronan do all the work for him. He's aiming to just pick up the pieces when they're through."

"I'd say it looks that way." Colonel Truman replied. "The big x-factor is the Scorpions. They've been taking part in scattered battles across all the territories. There's no focus. At first I thought they were just uncoordinated because Fresno Bob was laid up, but since he got out of hospital, they still seem to be showing very little focus. They got the Yo-Yo brother's turf, but only because no one else has made a move on it. Other than that, most of their activities are limited to piecemeal raids all over the city."

"Maybe Fresno Bob is losing his touch." Colonel Truman suggested.

"No, I've known Unc…" He paused and corrected himself as he realised he was about to call him 'Uncle Bob.' It was a force of habit, but he doubted the pubic would be happy if they realised their new Mayor had grown up with one of the city's most prominent crime lords as a close friend of the family. "I've known Fresno Bob a long time, and he doesn't do anything without having some kind of plan in mind. I just can't really see what it is."

"The hospitals are stretched, but they're just about coping with the casualties." Colonel Truman told him. "So far civilian fatalities aren't as high as we were expecting."

"Well we can only hope things stay that way." Chas replied in a small sigh. "Keep me posted on any developments. Let me know when you need any resources."

"I'll do that Chas." He concluded as he signed off. Chas shook his head and went to his desk, taking a seat as the situation weighed on him. He had no idea how quickly things could go out of control. His attention was raised as his secretary buzzed the intercom.

"There's a Robert Taylor here to see you." She told him. Chas just frowned, a little confused as to why now of all times, Fresno Bob would choose to show up unannounced at his office. He knew it was unlikely to be a wise move, but right now he just wanted someone he trusted to talk to.

"Send him in." Chas told her. "Take the rest of the night off."

She sent in the old crime boss, along with Benny, who insisted on tagging along in case he needed help given his recent injury. Chas gestured them both to sit down.

"I heard you were out of the hospital Uncle Bob." He greeted him, offering a glass of water. "Sorry I didn't visit, but…"

"Don't worry, I know you have your hands full." Bob replied, waving off the water. "That's why I wanted to make you a proposition. Do you have anything stronger?"

"Bob you really…"

"I'll be fine Benny!" He groaned. "He's worse than a wife at times."

Chas just shrugged. It had only been a day and a half since the old man had discharged himself against medical advice after being impaled by a sword, but he knew that his 'Uncle' was never one to take much heed of doctors' advice. He pulled out a bottle of whisky and poured him a glass.

"I'm sure you already know my guys are involved in the fighting." Fresno Bob told him. "I just wanted to suggest that we coordinate our efforts, off the books of course, in order to sort this mess out and get the city back to peace."

"The military…"

"The military is going to take years at best to push the fighting off the streets." Fresno Bob told him. "I'm working on something that could end it all in a few weeks."

"What are…?"

"I'm talking about taking out all the other cartels." Fresno Bob interrupted him. "End the fighting by destroying the cartels, using their own lack of unity against them."

"Uncle Bob, there's no way that can be done." Chas said disbelievingly.

"I intend to use intel and firepower to take out each of the Cartels at their weakest, and hold the territory. Once we have it, you move in the troops unhindered to put the block on lockdown and we move onto the next."

"You're asking me to hand the city to you?" Chas asked him.

"No, I'm asking you to trust me enough to help me. I can't hold the city by myself, and neither can you. Not with the others out there." He continued. "Once we have the city, I'll hand it over."

"You'll hand it over?" Chas said in a slightly sceptical tone. "Crime's been your business…"

"It's a business I got into to look out for the people I care about." He interrupted Chas. "Once this is done, I want to retire. I don't want to be in this game the rest of my life!"

"Even if that is true, what makes you think you can do it?" Chas asked him. "I know the Yo-Yo brothers…"

"They were nothing to do with me, I just moved in on their vacant territory." He interrupted Chas, pointing behind him. "You have him to thank for that."

Chas looked behind him where he saw D46 standing over him, his arms folded. D46 just snorted in disdain as he saw him. Chas leapt out of his seat and backed away quickly as he looked between Fresno Bob and D46 in disbelief. He wasn't sure he needed any more evidence the world had gone completely mad.


	30. Venjix's Deadliest Weapon

"Winchester?" Marcus sneered derisively as he saw Chas backing away from him. He hadn't seen him since a little before the Battle of Corinth. They had never really gotten along at the academy, with Chas regularly throwing his weight around, bossing around those who weren't able to afford to get on the fast track officer training, making fun of those who were different with the other rich kids, and bullying the younger cadets. Marcus had clashed head with him about his lofty attitude many times, even going so far as to hand him an embarrassing beating on one occasion in defence of another student. He still thought of him as a spoiled, selfish brat. "This is your plan? You want to trust the city to him?"

"You know me?" Chas gasped as he realised what the masked infiltrator had said. Fresno Bob also looked troubled by this development. Neither of them could tell his true identity, though it seemed that his attitude might cause problems for them.

"I don't know how you know him, but Chas is a different person now." Fresno Bob told him.

"People don't change that much!" Marcus roared, crossing his arms defiantly. "He always rode his father's name. He bought his way through life on his family's money. When those of us with a backbone were out fighting to save the human race, he was cowering in his office like a rat! I'll bet he bought his way into the mayor's office too."

"Does this look like I bought my office?" Chas yelled back, stepping close enough to Marcus that he could see the scarring on his face, gesturing to it wildly. "I'll admit I wasn't always a good person. I was a superficial mean-spirited jerk, but I've seen where that leads. I may not have fought in the Battle of Corinth, but I took responsibility when this city was taken to the brink of destruction by a madman, and I paid the price!"

He got a lot more conviction in him and stood, nose-to-nose with D46.

"I took this office to protect this city, and I will be damned if I will let this city tear itself apart!" He said coldly. "You took out the Yo-Yo brothers, but you can't take the city by yourself."

"None of us can." Fresno Bob interjected, stepping between them. "D46 might be able to take territory, but he can't be everywhere at once. He can't hold it, so he needs someone to make sure he doesn't lose it again as soon as he leaves. I took some territory, but there's no way I'll be able to lockdown the city, I don't have the man power. More importantly, I don't want to control this city. Once this is done, I'm out, and the military can't advance quickly enough. Every day this war continues weakens the city and makes it vulnerable to Venjix. We must end this now, and this is the fastest way to do it."

D46 looked to Chas, and gave a small laugh, though he extended a hand. Chas was a lot more serious and intense than he could remember seeing him before. He had to admit that being out in the wastes, he had missed a great deal of what happened in the city. He could never have believed that Chas would ever end up as anything but a rich, arrogant snob. Now though, he could see the strength and sincerity in the new Mayor that convinced him he was a man that would bring the city back from the brink, or die trying.

"I guess we don't have many options." Marcus replied, shaking his hand. "I have an idea for the next target. I say we hit the Sweet Tooths."

"Are you nuts?" Chas asked him. "The Sweet Tooths are the only gang that aren't making any moves! They're the only territory we aren't getting casualties or refugees from..."

"That in itself seemed odd. Even if they were holding back in a defensive position, I would have expected there to be some fighting going on, but there's nothing. I had a look around, and I found out why."

"What's going on?" Fresno Bob asked him.

"He only has one border he could be attacked from. Since the Scorpions aren't moving in, he only had to worry about Spike Mike. He's made a deal. He's paying him off to stay out, meaning Mike only has to worry about the Blue Crew. His sector now doesn't have any contested borders, meaning his citizens are safe, all the while his factories have gone into overdrive, flooding the streets with drugs and moonshine."

"He's keeping the citizens by keeping them numb, and offering safety." Chas commented, understanding.

"All the while, he's amassing a fortune from desperate citizens trying to escape reality. A fortune he's already used to stockpile arms and buy up a number of former Yo-Yo brothers in preparation for when Mike and Ronan finally get through with each other."

"If he's doing deals with Spike Mike, then maybe that could help us." Bob commented. "If we could break up that little alliance before it becomes too powerful..."

"Then Mike would have to split his efforts across two fronts, weakening him for our push into his territory." D46 concluded. "Meanwhile, if I take out the factory and stop them peddling their filth, we can finally get those people to safety."

"I'll try and find out what the nature of their deal is." Fresno Bob told him. "I'll put out feelers to find out what exactly they're using to buy off Spike Mike."

"Meanwhile, I need to get some equipment." Marcus told them. "The factory's going to be a hard target. I'll need some serious firepower, and one hell of a set of wheels. I can make enough explosives to blow it to hell..."

"I can sort out some ammo." Fresno Bob interrupted. "Chas, can you arrange a vehicle?"

"I can't give you anything, it would be noticed." He replied. "But I know where you can get something that should fit the bill."

"Just tell me where, I'll take care of it." Marcus told him.

"Flynn, the Blue Ranger has been working on something in the basement of the Garage for a while now." Chas informed him. "Two conditions, first, do not harm ANY of the Rangers. That includes Ranger Black! Humanity needs them. If you harm any of them, our deal is off."

"Fine, what's the other?" He asked him.

"Don't take any of their other weapons." Chas ordered him. "They'll need them against Venjix. Take what's in the basement, and nothing else."

"No problem." He replied, making his way to the window. "Bob, I'll meet you at the racetrack tonight. Have the weapons ready. I'll bring the ride."

Over at Venjix's fortress, Killobyte, Crunch and Dillon were all called into the main room before it. Dillon stood to attention with a serious look on his face.

"General Shifter has existed for far too long. Now my scanners tell me he has given himself an upgrade of amazing power. I cannot allow such power to exist outside of my control." Venjix told them. "I expect him to be destroyed before he sees another day."

"I am more than willing to take care of it." Killobyte told him. Dillon just let out a small snigger as he heard this. "Do you have something to say hybrid?"

"I sincerely doubt you have the capacity to 'deal with' anything." Dillon replied sarcastically. "I mean, you had an entire army of hybrids out in the wastes, and how did that turn out? If I remember correctly, they were all butchered by ONE hybrid."

"You will hold your tongue or..."

"You lost spectacularly to a hybrid. Personally I'm starting to doubt your abilities." Dillon interrupted him dismissively, before turning back to Venjix, falling to one knee before him. "Allow me the opportunity to prove myself to you Master. I will destroy the traitor."

"Please, you have no chance." Killobyte scoffed in return. "He was generation 5, but with that upgrade, he'd crush you like a bug."

"Silence!" Venjix ordered them. "D44 makes a good point. He has yet to cut his teeth in battle against the Rangers for me. However, it might be an idea to tip the scales a little. Crunch, activate the chamber. I think it's about time to try the new generation 15 model of infiltrator."

"Master, I must protest!" Killobyte yelled. "He has done nothing to earn this honour!"

"Now why does the thought of me being upgraded make you nervous?" Dillon asked him, turning to the general and smirking. "Are you planning on fighting me? I thought we were all on the same side."

"Even with the upgrade you would beg for your life before I finished you." Killobyte hissed as he realised Dillon had placed him in an unfortunate position. He had insinuated, correctly, that Killobyte may have the intention of double-crossing them and seizing control for himself. The only reason he was worried about the thought of Dillon being upgraded was the fact that if he had to take him on, it would make the fight harder. Of course, he couldn't admit this in front of Venjix. It was too early to make his move.

"I am ready Master Venjix." Dillon told him. "I await the generous gift of your upgrade."

With that, the claw came down from the ceiling, grabbing Dillon around the waist and lifting him into the chamber. Crunch went to the control console, cackling insanely. With Shifter gone, he was now the main creator in the fortress, and now he would finally be getting the chance to prove his worth.

"Master Venjix, I must urge caution. The only three infiltrators that exist have all fought against you and betrayed you." Killobyte reminded him. "This one has strong ties to the Rangers, the Yellow one in particular. If he can..."

"His mind is now mine. My virus has seized complete control." Venjix told him. "He will be sent against the Rangers in due time. Before that, we shall see how he fares against Shifter."

Late at night, Dr. K was still working in the lab. Scott had managed to get her to relax a little, and she now worked with a renewed vigour, though she still found the answer to be as elusive as ever.

It was unusually quiet in the usually busy building. Ziggy and Tenaya had gone out for the evening in one of the military controlled zones. It was more about comforting Ziggy over his meeting with Bob as anything else. They had respected his privacy and given him space, but it was pretty obvious from his mood that the meeting had not gone well.

Summer had gone with Flynn to Sam's place. He wanted to check on her, and to discuss what they would need and their plans for the future. He had invited Summer to come along with him to get her out of the Garage for a little while. She was the first and most enthusiastic of the Rangers to congratulate him when Sam broke the news, so he thought that it might cheer her up a bit to be included in the baby talk.

The twins had gone to check on the orphanage as a favour to Tenaya for Ziggy's peace of mind. They loved seeing the kids anyway, and right now Ziggy was in no condition to worry about the kids as well given the state the city had been left in as a result of the senseless gang war. Scott came up behind Dr. K as she swore loudly at the screen after trying another encryption that didn't work.

"I didn't know you used language like that." Scott teased her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I think hanging around us has been a bad influence on you."

"This is so frustrating, it's like this virus is vastly superior to the technology within Dillon's system." She explained. "It adapts and shifts to every anti-virus upload I try."

"Just remember what I said, don't let this get to you." Scott reminded her, kissing her cheek. "You'll be no good to any of us if you get burned out. Anyway, I'm getting an early night. Maybe with a little rest I can get over this muscle strain."

"I still wish you'd just let me look at it." She replied. "Have a good night Scott. I'll try not to make too much noise."

"I grew up on an air base remember?" He asked her. "If you can sleep through an F16 taking off, you can sleep through just about anything."

He went to his room, leaving Dr. K alone in the lab. She turned back to the computer screen and kept working.

As Scott made his way through the main garage, he didn't notice a dark shape hanging in the window. Marcus watched his little brother going to his room, and closing the door over a little way, before picking the lock on the window and slipping inside. He slipped in quietly, dropping onto the catwalk with virtually no sound. He made his way along, and opened the door a short way, watching as Scott was just getting settled on the bed, turning onto his side. He closed the door over quietly.

He then made his way towards the lab to check if anyone else was there. He knew there were seven Rangers and he had seen the other six leave, but he didn't want to take any chances.

As the door slid open, Dr. K heard it and smiled, thinking that Scott had come back.

"I thought you wanted an early night." She said in an innocent tone. "Not that I'm com…"

Her words were cut off as she was grabbed roughly and turned around, before being forced backwards over the desk, scattering equipment. He clamped a hand over her mouth as she tried to scream. She looked up to him in terror, realising that it was D46, the infiltrator from the wastes that the others had told her about.

"I will not harm you." He told her, ripping some cables out of a nearby console and using them to bind her hands tightly. "No one will hear you, so don't try and scream and just do as I say and I'll be out of here in five minutes."

Dr. K just nodded in understanding. She knew Scott was in the building, but obviously he hadn't heard D46 come in. He released her mouth once he was sure she wouldn't scream.

"Where's the entrance to the basement?" He asked her. "Show me!"

Dr. K reluctantly led him back into the main garage. Her gaze strayed towards the room where the Red Ranger was sleeping, and she quietly cursed as she realised the soundproof door was closed. She could have ordered the Ultrazord to tap-dance in the Garage and Scott wouldn't hear with the door closed. D46 shoved her to encourage her to hurry up. She approached a door with a keypad lock on it.

"Open it!" He ordered her.

She typed in the code, opening the door, at which the infiltrator grabbed her and dragged her with him into the basement. He found a light switch, bringing up the lights. As he turned round, Marcus smiled beneath his mask as he saw it.

"The Go-Onger." He said in a strangely soft voice for one who had basically broken into a secure laboratory and kidnapped the occupant. Dr. K looked at him a little curiously, wondering how the infiltrator could possibly know about the Go-Onger. It had been a secret project that only the original build team, Dr. K and the Rangers knew about.

"It's the Go-Onger Mark II actually." She corrected him. "The original was destroyed in the Wastes. Ranger Blue used captured Venjix transports to create a replacement which he intended to give to Colonel Truman to make amends."

"I'm sure he would have liked that." Marcus replied as he ran his hand over the smooth, shiny bodywork, admiring the vehicle he had heard his father talk about so lovingly all those times across the years. "I'll try to bring it back in one piece."

"You want this?" She asked him in surprise. He just grabbed her and shoved her against some shelving units, before re-tying her hands over her head to the shelving unit, preventing her escaping.

"Where's the door control?" He asked her.

"It's just to the right of the door." She told him. D46 made his way over, opening the door, and a section of the street at the back of the Garage lowered into a ramp leading out of the complex. Marcus jumped into the cab and fired up the engine, before speeding into the night.

Flynn and Summer were just returning from his visit with Sam, still talking and laughing as they continued to discuss with excitement the prospect of Flynn becoming a father.

"So which of you do you think it'll look like?" Summer asked him.

"Hey, as long as it has Sam's brains, I don't really..." They were interrupted as they saw the street open up into the basement of the Garage, and the Go-Onger raced out, burning up the street. Summer looked at Flynn a little puzzled.

"Was that the Go-Onger?" She asked him.

"It was, I kind of made a souped up version to replace the one I destroyed." He told her as they broke into a sprint, heading back to the Garage. They ran down the ramp, finding Dr. K still tied to the shelving unit. Summer came to her side and quickly untied her.

"D46 just stole your special project Flynn." Dr. K informed him.

"The cybernetic psycho that tried to kill Tenaya twice and buried me and Dillon?" Summer asked her. Dr. K nodded.

"Yes, that would be him." She replied. "I don't know what he wanted it for, but he said he didn't want to harm me, and with the exception of some bruising to my wrists, he's kept that promise."

"So he only wanted the Go-Onger?" Flynn asked her.

"What would he want it for anyway?" Summer asked. Flynn looked at her a little worried.

"Well, I did say it was the new improved model." He told her. "Stronger, lighter armour, a more powerful engine, frankly...that thing is hell on wheels."

Back at Venjix's fortress, the claw reached into the generation chamber, pulling Dillon out. Crunch marvelled at his masterpiece. He looked much as he did before, but now his bodysuit incorporated titanium steel shoulder armour, and a frame similar to Tenaya's old visor now framed his face. His forearms now had steel gauntlets on them, covering them, with vicious looking blades mounted on them. His temples were now imprinted with a circuit board. His hair was slicked back and his eyes were now dark, and menacing, with none of the warmth Summer had seen in them.

"I give to you, the beginning of the end for the Rangers." Crunch announced proudly. "Generation 15 technology in a body they'll never be able to bring themselves to destroy."

"Well I for one remain to be convinced." Killobyte scoffed, looking at Dillon dismissively. "It hardly looks like much of an upgrade."

"We will have a chance to see him in action." Venjix assured his general. "D44 is no more. This is the beginning of the end. From now on, it will carry the name...Ragnarok!"

Dillon smiled as he heard this name and sank to one knee before his master.

"Your first mission is to go to the city and find Shifter." Venjix instructed him. "Destroy him and bring him to me. He was tasked with making me a new body. He will get the chance after all."

Dillon just smirked as he rose to his feet and clenched his fists, before turning and striding from the room, embarking on his first mission as Venjix's deadliest weapon.


	31. Ragnarok

The following morning, the Rangers were all assembled in the lab as Dr. K briefed them on their situation. It had been a very troubling day for developments.

"Colonel Truman has sent us word that we are to have no part in the gang war unless absolutely necessary." Dr. K began. "He said the military is progressing well, and holding its territory."

Scott sat, rubbing his chest as he heard this. It felt warm, and a little sore. He had been aware of an injury since his battle with Shifter, but he hadn't really paid it much mind. He already knew that Summer's mind wasn't entirely on task, and Tenaya, while progressing admirably, was still not quite up to speed. He knew he couldn't afford to take time out.

Summer was sitting with Tenaya and Ziggy. The three of them had been hanging out a lot recently, largely due to the fact they had all been through a lot, and had a close bond as a result. Ziggy had only just found out his entire life had been a lie, and needed someone he could depend on, for which Tenaya was there. Meanwhile, Tenaya and Summer, his sister and fiancée respectively, had lost him to Venjix, and had no idea if they could or would get him back. They weren't quite hugging, but they all sat very closely to each other. Scott smiled a little. He had known Summer a long time, and was glad someone was there for her.

Flynn was sitting, nodding politely as though he was listening, though Scott could just see the edge of a baby catalogue at the edge of the table. He saw that Flynn kept casting his gaze down to it, obviously still picking out the things he wanted to buy for his new child.

Gem and Gemma meanwhile, sat leaning across the table listening intently. They were obviously waiting to hear about any imminent action.

"As you know, D46 broke in here last night and stole Flynn's secret project, the Mark II Go-Onger." She continued as they all listened, (or in Flynn's case, part listened while trying to decide between space ships and letters for the baby's mobile). She rubbed her wrists, feeling a little guilty as she thought about how he had essentially kidnapped her and forced her to hand it over. "He didn't express any desire to harm us, but with that weapon in his grasp, and given the fact he has already attacked us, it seems prudent for us to stay on alert."

"We'll watch out for him doc." Scott assured her. He felt guilty about the fact he wasn't there to protect her, even though he knew that after D46 had closed over the door he couldn't possibly have heard what was going on. Dr. K smiled at him at the thought of him standing in her defence. He had done everything that had been asked of him and more. He was simply the most amazing man she knew.

"In the meantime, we need to watch out for Shifter..."

"You bet you do!" Scott interrupted her. Everyone looked around at him like he was mad. He was simply confused. He knew what he had said, he just didn't know why.

"As I was saying...."

"Your end is close at hands!" Scott snapped as he leapt to his feet and slammed his hands into the table. The others again just looked at him dumbfounded as he stood before him.

"Scott, are you feeling OK?" Tenaya asked him. Scott just turned and glared at her hatefully.

"You don't deserve the gifts you've been given you filthy hybrid scum!" He sneered as he overturned the conference table aggressively. Tenaya looked at him in shock.

"Scott, what are...?"

Flynn's words were cut off as Scott kicked him hard in the face, sending him to the floor. Dr. K saw the slight glow in his chest and quickly got the idea.

"He isn't in control!" She shrieked as she pulled out a stun blaster. "Something inside him is controlling him, restrain him!"

Ziggy rushed forward, only to be taken down by a hard right hook. Summer rushed before him, and stood there, weathering a storm of attacks, blocking them as much as she could.

"Scott, it's me, Summer!" She tried to remind him. "You have to remember, please!"

At that point she heard a loud clunk, at which Scott slumped to the floor unconscious. Tenaya was standing behind him holding a length of pipe. Summer stared at her with her mouth open.

"Would you have preferred to fight him?" Tenaya asked her. Gem and Gemma grabbed him, lifting him up.

"I agree, disabling him quickly was probably the best option." Dr. K conceded, despite feeling a certain instinct to cross the room and slap Tenaya for hurting him. "Gem, Gemma, take him to the lab and secure him to the bench."

As they all followed her through, Gem and Gemma set him up on the table, securing him to it with strong leather straps. Scott woke up, but found himself unable to move.

"Dr. K?" He asked, clearly a little confused.

"It is a necessary measure." She assured him as she ran a scanner over him. It bleeped loudly, and caused a screen to bring up an x-ray of Scott's body. "It appears that pain in your chest was not a muscle strain. Shifter has implanted a key in you that allows him to control you."

Just then, the alarms sounded, causing the other Rangers to look around in dismay.

"Speaking of Shifter, it looks like he's chosen now to make his move." Ziggy informed them, bringing up an image.

"I must serve my master!" Scott yelled, before struggling against his restraints. Fortunately it looked like he didn't have the strength to break them. "Let me go!"

"Rangers, you must go to confront Shifter. I will work on getting Scott back under control." She told them. The other Rangers rushed out of the room, and Dr. K ensured they were gone before closing the door to the lab. She turned back to the Red Ranger, who was still fighting to free himself and looked down regretfully as she pulled out a drawer, housing a few surgical tools.

"I'm sorry Scott, I really can't afford the time you would be unconscious after an anaesthetic. The Rangers will need your morpher to access adequate Zord power to take out Shifter." She sighed as she picked up a scalpel. "Please forgive me."

Scott screamed loudly as the blade dug into his flesh.

The other Rangers were busy fighting Shifter, when Dillon arrived, taking a viewing position a little way off and watched with interest. He smirked as he saw Shifter beating them aside.

"I will destroy you and then I will destroy Venjix!" He announced proudly. This was all Dillon needed to hear. He grabbed a traffic sign near him and ripped it out of the ground, before launching it at him like a spear. It went straight through Shifter, and into the concrete, pinning him in place.

"Guys, we have to take advantage!" Summer instructed them. "Take him out!"

"RPM Plasma Blaster!" Ziggy called out as he and Tenaya linked their weapons. He looked at her as he realised he had done so alone.

"You're meant to say it too." He reminded her.

"Sorry, still not getting the whole Ranger thing." She replied as Gem and Gemma prepared their Sky Shift Blazers. They all pointed them at the trapped General.

"Fire!" They all called together. Shifter was sent flying as the blast hit him.

"You know, the whole team calling thing actually does feel kind of good." Tenaya conceded. "Maybe..."

"We can have this discussion later." Flynn interrupted as Shifter grew to massive size. "Right now, I think the Zords are needed."

Back in the Garage, Dr. K reached into the wound she had been forced to inflict on her boyfriend, and pulled out a little golden key. She placed it into a tray in her main computer, before pushing the tray in and starting an analysis. She turned back to Scott, holding a needle and surgical thread.

"I really am sorry." She told him, releasing his right arm. "I can offer you a local anaesthetic for the stitching."

"Trust me, after slicing my chest open, stitches will be nothing." He replied as he activated his morpher. "Guys, you are go for Ultrazord!"

The other Rangers immediately sequenced the Ultrazord, breaking off from their individual assaults and confronting Shifter. Flynn grabbed both his and Scott's Wheel Blasters as the others prepared for the ultimate attack.

"Ready guys?" He asked them.

"Ready!" They answered. Flynn levelled both blasters at Shifter.

"Fire!" He called out. At that, they unleashed the ultimate attack, sending Shifter to the ground, exploding in a shower of sparks. They all de-morphed, congratulating each other as they left the scene.

Shifter staggered through the streets, his power all but completely depleted as a result of the battle. He rounded a corner, finding Dillon standing before him.

"I was sent to destroy you." Dillon informed him. "It's up to you how much fun I have doing so."

Shifter launched into an attack, but Dillon simply side-stepped him, sweeping his legs out from under him. Shifter quickly scrambled to his feet and turned back to him, calling forth his staff.

"I am far beyond...."

"I am Ragnarok, generation 15 attack bot!" Dillon interrupted him. "I have been sent to destroy you."

Shifter swung his staff wildly, but every strike was parried easily by Dillon. He merely laughed at the former General as he finally disarmed him.

"My turn Shifter." He said menacingly as he smashed his fist through his chest, before ripping out his power cell. The Rangers arrived to see this, at which Summer recalled her helmet.

"Dillon?" She asked in a weak voice. He just sneered at her.

"The human is no more." He told her. "I have business to attend to."

Summer rushed towards him with tears in her eyes, hoping to reach the man she had promised to pledge her life to.

"Dillon, please remember, you got down on one knee, you told me you loved me!" She implored him. He smashed her aside with a backhanded slap. Fortunately he had managed to miss her with the blades on his gauntlets.

"I love no one you pathetic little girl!" He snapped as she stared up at him, cradling her cheek. "I am now Venjix's ultimate weapon, the perfect infiltrator. I am Ragnarok!

"You're not, you're my brother!" Tanaya yelled as she grabbed him and thrust him against a wall. "You did so much for me, I will not fail you!"

"What can you do about it you generation 7 has-been?" Dillon snorted in disgust as he punched her away. I am now generation 15! The perfect..."

"Then prove how perfect you are and kill me first!" Summer demanded as she shoved Tenaya aside and stood before him. "Kill me first!"

Dillon looked to her, observing her body and calculating every inch of it, but there was something in him that stopped him.

"Go ahead, kill me!" Summer demanded of him. He just snorted in response.

"I have a job to do." He replied as he picked up what was left of Shifter.

"I'll see you around sweetheart." He taunted Summer. She was now able to stand when the taunts and the insults came; despite her heart breaking over watching the man she loved standing against her. Dillon ran off at impossible speed before she could say anything else.

"Su...."

"Don't start Flynn!" She warned him as she looked longingly down the route her fiancé had taken. Tenaya de-morphed as she came to Summer's side, putting her arm around her. "Don't tell me it'll be alright. The man I love just looked at me like I was nothing. What part of that is alright?"

"We'll get him back Summer, you know we will." Tenaya told her gently. "We'll get him back, and then you'll get to become bridezilla and make all of our lives hell while you plan your wedding, I promise you."

"I really hope so." She sighed as she de-morphed, wiping her eyes. Tenaya just held her future sister-in-law as they made their way back to the cars to head back to the Garage.

Dr. K had just finished stitching up the wound in Scott's chest when the analysis on the key came back. The others came into the lab as she was checking the computer screen.

"Dr. K, we ran into Dillon." Flynn began as he arrived. "It looks like Venjix has given him a serious attitude adjustment."

"It's more than that." Tenaya chipped in. "He demonstrated abilities way beyond the limits of the technology used to create us. He took out Shifter in one punch."

"It seems as though Venjix has upgraded the systems within Dillon's body." Dr. K told them as she turned away from the computers.

"Upgraded?" Summer asked her weakly. "He said he was generation 15."

"Did he say specifically generation 15?" Dr. K asked her, grabbing her arms. "I know its hard Summer, but you have to concentrate. Did he say specifically generation 15?"

"Yes, he said his name was Ragnarok and he was a generation 15 infiltrator." She recalled. "Why is that important?"

Dr. K looked at her and backed away a little. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but a plan was already forming in her mind. The others all looked at her intently as she turned back to the computer.

"I managed to remove the control device from Scott's body." She said, changing the subject before they grilled her too fiercely. "I've got it under analysis. I'll let you know what I find."

"But what about Dillon?" Summer pleaded with her.

"I will do everything I can for him, I promise." Dr. K assured her. "Now, I need a little privacy to work. You may as well get some rest until Venjix sends his next attack bot."

The Rangers slowly turned and left the room, heading back into the main room. Scott looked up to his girlfriend.

"Can someone please untie me?" He asked. Dr. K came over to him and started to unbuckle the straps holding him to the table. He pulled her in, kissing her as she finished releasing him.

"Sorry I had to hurt you." She told him. "I needed to get that thing out."

"I understand." Scott assured her as he got off the table. He followed her to the computer screen, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You have an idea about Dillon don't you?"

"I do, but I don't want to say anything yet." She replied as she continued her analysis. They never noticed as Summer and Tenaya slipped back into the lab, having surmised that she was keeping something from them, and that she had an idea how to get Dillon back. They hid a little way off behind some equipment. "Summer and Tenaya have both been hurt so much by this already that I didn't want to raise their hopes."

"What are you talking about?" Scott asked her. She showed him the screen she was working on.

"The key that Shifter implanted in you, the control device, was similar in design to the virus that's taken control of Dillon." She began, explaining her theory. "It allowed him to control you by over-riding your higher reason, just like the virus that claimed Dillon."

"So how does this help?" Scott asked her.

"In order to ensure that only he could control you and you didn't fall into Venjix's hands, he used a different code, one that only operated in the generation 15 technology he put into himself when he took the other key." She explained. "It is the diametric opposite of the code for the virus in Dillon's systems."

"So what does that mean?" Scott asked her. She smiled at him.

"If I'm right, then the two codes should be incompatible and identify each other as foreign bodies." She told him. "This might literally be the key to getting Dillon back."

Scott laughed and scooped her up into his arms. He looked into her eyes lovingly.

"This is the benefit of my girlfriend being a genius." He said with excitement. "What are we going to do?"

"Firstly I want to fashion it into a weapon we can use on him. I doubt he's just going to stand still and let us inject him." She told him. Tenaya and Summer held each other as they listened in. They had heard enough, Dr. K had found a way to return Dillon to them. They slipped out of the lab without being noticed. "Secondly, I want to run a few more tests."

"Tests for what?" Scott asked her, uncertain what she was getting at. Dr. K looked at him a little sadly.

"I have yet to ascertain what the lasting results on the technology in Dillon's body will be." She answered him. "It is possible that the strain of both codes will cause his systems to go into complete shutdown."

She brushed some hair out of her face and gulped as she tried to bring herself to say the next part.

"The technology in Dillon's body is linked to a number of his essential biological systems." She continued. "If his systems cease to operate, he won't survive."

Scott pulled her in, hugging her tightly. It was only now that he appreciated why she didn't want to tell Summer and Tenaya. It would only be cruel to make them face the choice of taking the shot that might kill the man they both loved so dearly.

Elsewhere, Ms. Foster was tending to the children when she heard a knock on the door. Turning to see who it was, she saw Benny standing in the door.

"Hello Helen, how are things?" He asked her. She turned back to her work as she shook her head gently.

"I know this isn't the contested zone, but I'm still scared to let the kids go outside, they're going a little stir-crazy." She told him. "I'm keeping a lid on it most of the time, but I really don't know how much longer this can go on. Sammy knocked one of Kevin's teeth out yesterday in a fight over a yo-yo. He doesn't even like yo-yos!"

"I came to talk to you about Ziggy." Benny told her. "He found out the truth about Bob."

She stopped what she was doing and looked at him in surprise. She hadn't seen or heard from Ziggy in days.

"How much..."

"He doesn't know everything." Benny assured her. "He's pretty cut up about the whole thing. I'm really worried about him. I knew he'd be upset, but it's really messing with his head. I really think he needs..."

"You can't possibly ask that of me." She interrupted him. "I..."

"Damn it, I've kept your secret from everyone, even Bob for all these years Kerry." He snapped at her as tears formed in his eyes. "I created that identity for you when you wanted to get away. I've looked after you and Ziggy for all these years and never asked for anything."

"I can't do it!" She stated flatly. "I can't possibly..."

"Your son needs you Kerry." Benny interrupted her. "Please, he hates Bob now, he's confused and he's hurt. He needs someone to be there for him."

"I gave up that life a long time ago." She told him, trying hard not to break down in tears. A shriek came from the other room where the kids were playing. "I need to go, my kids need me."

"Your son needs you too." Benny replied. "I'll show myself out."

As he left and Ms. Foster went to sort out another drama with the kids, tears rolled down her face. She knew he was right, and she knew this day would come. Ziggy needed to know the truth. He needed to know that her real name wasn't Helen Foster, it was Kerry Grover.


	32. Goodbye Sweet Tooth

Dillon arrived back at the fortress, carrying what was left of Shifter over his shoulders. Crunch cackled as he saw this, bouncing around energetically.

"I guess he finally met his match." Crunch commented as Dillon dumped Shifter into the generation chamber. "He always said my creations were stupid, and it's one of mine that finished him."

"Do not gloat over a fallen comrade." Killobyte warned him. "After all, at one time Shifter was in Master Venjix's favour, and look how he ended up."

"It sounds like you're having second thoughts about the Master." Dillon commented, rounding on the General. "It almost makes me question why Shifter's Hyper Bot really malfunctioned."

"What are you accusing me of you filthy hybrid scum?" Killobyte demanded as he thrust Dillon against a wall. Dillon just looked down at his hands before brushing them off aggressively.

"This petty squabbling stops NOW!" Venjix ordered them. "Ragnarok, you have done as I asked. You have my thanks. Return to the regeneration zone."

Dillon bowed his head to Venjix, before heading to the device in the room and standing against it, placing his arms in the arm rests before putting himself into standby. Killobyte watched him and cursed Venjix for putting Dillon's generation zone in the main room. It made any attempt to cause him to have a tragic 'accident' impossible. He turned back to Venjix.

"He was confronted by the Rangers and did nothing." Killobyte reminded him. "Even with Crunch's 'upgrades' I do not trust him."

"He did as he was ordered to do and I am satisfied." Venjix replied. "Now, you will begin work on my new body."

Killobyte went to the console and started work, but noticed Crunch was still there, watching his every move. He continued with his task as he tried to form a new plan. He had no intention of ending up the same way as Shifter, and if he was to prevent that, then he needed a new plan.

Meanwhile, back in the city, Marcus was sitting in the Go-Onger, a little way from Newmark's drug factory, keeping an eye on proceedings. He saw couriers coming and going regularly, to pick up and drop off deliveries. His grip on the wheel tightened as he thought about all the citizens poisoning themselves with his merchandise to remove themselves from the hardships of their lives. He knew that Newmark had made a considerable amount of money before, but given the desperation of the gang war, he had taken to flooding the streets with a steady stream of low-price narcotics and illegal spirits, cashing in on people's fears and misery to finance his recruitment.

He looked up as a limo pulled up to the gate, at which one of the Sweet Tooths got out the driver's door and walked to the back, opening it. He took a photograph as he realised that the man stepping out of the limo was Spike Mike, before turning on his radio. Chas and Fresno Bob were waiting in his office for word from him.

"Spike Mike just turned up." He informed them. "It looks like he's been invited. He brought a couple of guys for some muscle, but no one's making any moves."

"If he's been invited, then one of their deals must be going down." Chas told him. "Keep an eye on things there. If we know what they're trading..."

"I'm on it." Marcus replied, killing the transmission. He reached into the back of the vehicle, gathering a few weapons. He wanted to keep things quiet right now, so he knew the heavy artillery would only attract undue resistance. He shoved a hand blaster into the shoulder harness under his coat just in case he needed to get away quickly, before picking up a tech bow he had for just such an occasion.

Out in the wastes, he occasionally had to scout out Venjix outposts quietly, and had learned the value of the silent weapon. He had constructed out of metal parts he had found out in the wastes, and a high tension cable. Although Venjix's warriors were armoured, this hadn't been a significant problem. His father had taught him a lot about warfare, even the ancient ways, and while most traditional longbows had a pull strength of 350 lbs, with the upgrades, this wasn't a limitation he worried about. His bow had a strength closer to 1500 lbs.

He secured the Go-Onger, before making his way unseen around the side of the building. He knew that sentries would likely be patrolling regularly, and wanted to avoid raising the alarm too quickly. Using all his strength, he leapt almost 30 feet in the air, landing on the side wall, before lying down, taking in the surroundings.

Just as he had anticipated, guards were doing regular sweeps of the grounds. This would be a lot more difficult than he thought.

He pulled into a small nook, scanning the area for an opportunity, when he saw the yard clearing briefly. Only one guard was left, watching a door on the balcony halfway up the building. Marcus drew back the bow string, taking careful aim, before letting fly. The force of the arrow drove him backwards into the wall, pinning him in place. Marcus quickly looked around, before leaping down into the courtyard.

Sneaking up to the wall of the main building, he checked he hadn't been seen, before leaping up the distance to the balcony, and up to the guard's corpse, pulling out the arrow and letting him fall to the ground.

He made his way to the window, finding himself looking into an office. He pulled back as he realised that Newmark was in there, but fortunately he hadn't been seen. He knelt down out of sight as he heard a door open and listened.

"It's a pleasure as always to see you Mike." Newmark greeted him. "I trust the last delivery was satisfactory."

"I know good hardware when I see it." Spike Mike replied. "What do you have for me this time?"

Marcus risked a look into the office, seeing Newmark opening a briefcase and handing the other crime boss a military grade blaster. Spike Mike inspected it, and seemed impressed by the powerful weapon.

"How many?" Spike Mike asked him.

"I have 50 units in a truck in the factory just waiting for you." Newmark told him. "I trust this will suffice."

"Just keep them coming Newmark." Spike Mike warned him. "The battles against Ronan are at a crucial juncture. I need every edge I can get."

Marcus figured he had heard enough, and slipped away, looking for a way inside the building. Scaling up the side of the building, he made his way to the skylight, peering inside. He saw the production lines that churned out Newmark's poison, in the centre of which was a truck, obviously the vehicle Newmark had spoken of. Newmark and Spike Mike arrived a short time later. They seemed to discuss something for a second, until Newmark handed the keys to his fellow crime lord.

Marcus had to admit being impressed. Spike Mike obviously had no idea of the arsenal or forces Newmark was amassing right under his nose. He was grateful for a small, token amount of the weaponry Newmark was amassing because he was so intent on taking out his long-time rival Ronan.

As the truck left, he simply watched it go. He was about to leave, when he noticed another limo arriving. He smirked as he watched Ronan getting out.

"He's playing both sides for fools." He commented to himself, gathering his equipment after taking a few more photographs. "He isn't just waiting for them to destroy each other; he's giving them the tools to do it."

He left the grounds quietly, before returning to the Go-Onger, turning on the radio.

"Newmark's trading weapons to both sides." He told them. "He keeps the lion's share for himself, but he gives both Ronan and Mike hardware for their war. He isn't just waiting for them to take each other out, he's stoking the fires."

"I knew he was dirty, but this is way beyond anything I could have anticipated." Chas replied. "People are getting caught in the cross-fire. Spike Mike and Ronan are tearing the northern zones apart!"

"We have to shut them down." Fresno Bob chipped in. "Get back here with your surveillance photos. We need to stop this, and stop it now."

"No, I have everything I need right here." Marcus told them. "Bob, just have some guys ready to move in and claim the territory. This ends tonight."

"We need to think about this." Chas told him. "We need to make a plan..."

"I have a plan." Marcus replied. "Ever heard of the 1812 overture?"

With that he killed the radio, and started the engine as he waited for Ronan to leave. As soon as the second truck had left, he turned on the headlights, dazzling the guards. He smiled as he raced forward, slamming through the gates.

Ziggy was sitting with Tenaya and Summer, listening intently as they discussed what they had overheard earlier.

"So Dr. K thinks she might be able to get Dillon back?" He asked them. Dillon was the first one that had accepted him unconditionally. He wasn't hurting in the same way as Tenaya and Summer, but Dillon's loss had also pained him. He was as eager as the girls to see him back in the fold.

"She said the key might be able to reverse what's been done to him." Summer said with a huge smile on her face. "We might finally be able to save him."

"I keep remembering new stuff about our past all the time. He gave up everything to look after me when mom died." Tenaya told him. "If there's even a chance that we can save him, I have to take it. I owe him everything."

"You remember more about what happened to you both?" Ziggy asked her. Tenaya nodded sadly.

"He was in college when she died. He dropped out because he knew I needed someone to take care of me. I was completely dependent on him for everything. He gave me everything and never complained once."

"If there's anything I can do for Dillon, you know I'm on board but this all seems a little too easy." He said in a cautious tone. "I'm sorry to say this, I want him back too, but if Dr. K had really found a way to get him back, don't you think she'd have told us?"

"You know what she's like, she's probably just being cautious." Summer replied. "She said that the code for the key was diametrically opposite to the code for the virus in his systems."

"She did Ziggy, she said they'd be incompatible with each other and work against each other." Tenaya assured him. "Ziggy, this might be the only chance we have of getting him back."

"I really think we should talk to Dr. K about this first." Ziggy stated as they looked at him pleadingly. "I still can't shake the feeling..."

"If you don't want to help us..."

"No, you're right, I'm sorry." Ziggy interrupted Summer as she took his hand. "If there's even a chance, then I'm in."

"Ziggy, hack into Dr. K's files and find the blueprints for this weapon." Summer instructed him. "She's working on that rail sabre thing for Scott, so that should distract her while we build it ourselves."

With that, they all broke off, preparing to implement their plan to bring back the one they cared about more than anything else.

Hicks answered the door to his apartment, finding Gemma standing outside. She held up a small paper bag, showing it to him.

"Have you eaten yet?" She asked him.

"I hadn't actually thought about that yet." He told the Silver Ranger with a small smile. "Feel free to come in."

"How do you feel about fried chicken?" She asked him, setting the bag down. Hicks smiled warmly as he looked at it.

"I love it, my mom used to make the best fried chicken I've ever tasted." He informed her. Gemma held a hand over her mouth.

"Oh no, Hicks I'm so sorry, I didn't mean..."

"It's alright; it's one of the really good memories I have." He told her as he fished out a drumstick. "It used to be so spicy that we'd have a couple of huge pitchers of home-made lemonade sitting on the table. It was needed to put out the fire a little. I loved it so much I asked for it every birthday and Christmas. If Jessica had let me, I'd have asked for it for our wedding."

"How are things going?" She asked him a little quietly. He looked at her, and appreciated her efforts to help him.

"I saw the therapist for the first time today." He informed her as they sat down. "I managed to get a lot off my chest. I've been carrying it all around for so long."

"It's never good to do that." Gemma replied.

"I used to think that seeking vengeance would help, but I was so consumed by it. It was all I'd ever think about." Hicks told her. "I was obsessed with it. I became someone I didn't even recognise."

"Well for what it's worth, I think who you became is pretty amazing." She told him. "I can't imagine what I'd have felt if I had lost as much as you."

"I didn't care if I lived to see the end. All I wanted was to destroy everything connected to Venjix, regardless of the cost." He told her. He looked down on the bag and sighed. "My mom was a pacifist. She hated fighting, she said it only led to pain and suffering. If she'd seen how I ended up..."

"Hicks, she would have been proud of you." Gemma assured him. "She might not have liked fighting, but sometimes there isn't a choice. How many people do you think owe their lives to you?"

"I couldn't honestly say." He replied.

"You've made mistakes, just like anyone else, but look at everything good you've done." She told him. "You've had every reason to give in to hate, but I see you show kindness and I know that you still have a good heart. Your family might have disagreed with some of the choices you've made, but I know for a fact they'd be proud of you. I know because I am."

"That really means a lot Gemma." He replied, taking a bite. "You know the one thing that's come out of this is it made me realise how much I've missed out on. My closest friends are the people I work with, and they don't even use my first name."

"You know you could always change that." Gemma replied. "I was always kind of curious. I imagine something like Bruce or Sam or..."

"Damien." He told her. "My name is Damien."

"I like that." She said with a smile, shaking his hand. "It's nice to meet you Damien."

Just then, a loud crash interrupted them, causing them to look out the window. Hicks' apartment was only a short way from the edge of the military controlled zone bordering on Newmark's territory. They saw a flash as an explosion sounded.

"That came from Newmark's factory!" Hicks informed her as he prepared a hand-blaster and fetched his jacket. "It looks like our mystery man is making a move."

"Hicks, you can't seriously be thinking of going out there!" She shrieked. Hicks nodded.

"It'll take the Colonel at least 20 minutes to get a patrol out there." He informed her. "By then it could be too late."

"I'm coming with you." Gemma told him flatly as they ran out of the apartment.

Back at the factory, the Go-Onger weathered a storm of firepower as it powered through the wall of the factory, destroying a still in a massive explosion as it did so. Marcus skidded to a halt and disembarked, grabbing a blaster as he did so.

The first of the guards came into view and were quickly dispatched by a precision volley from Marcus. He marched through the building as workers ran for their lives in search of the leader of the Sweet Tooths.

Another gangster came at him, swinging an iron bar, but Marcus saw it coming and ducked, before smashing the butt of his weapon into his face. Grabbing the gangster in a headlock, he snapped his neck, before tossing him aside. He made his way to the first of the stills and set a C4 charge.

"He's wiring the place to blow!" One of the Sweet Tooths shrieked as he saw what he was doing. "Stop him!"

Marcus responded with a hail of fire, scattering them. He ran to the next machine, placing another charge, before catching a glimpse of Newmark trying to flee. He took careful aim, blowing out his right knee with one shot, before throwing the rifle aside. Pulling out a pair of pistols, he continued on his mission to set the other charges, dispatching the few gangsters that were stupid enough to remain.

Newmark was crawling in a pathetic, vain effort to escape when Marcus arrived, stomping on his right ankle, and shattering it. Newmark's scream sounded through the whole building, over the noise of the chaos as Marcus grabbed him with one hand and lifted him into the air, staring at him.

"You think nothing of the lives of others. You peddle your filth to the most desperate and downtrodden people in the city, ruining their lives for a quick buck." He hissed angrily, throwing him against a machine. He slumped down, unable to stand as he impacted with the machinery. "You trade weapons to the scum that are tearing this city apart for profit. You really are the lowest of the low!"

"I give up!" He told him. "Please, I'll admit everything, I swear it..."

"What about all the people whose lives you've already ruined?" Marcus asked him as he overturned a machine, which fell on Newmark's legs, shattering them and pinning him in place. "You made a life on this poison. Enjoy your Karma."

With that, he got into the Go-Onger and sped away, ignoring Newmark's pleas for mercy. When he got outside, he got out of the vehicle, before activating the detonator. The building erupted in a fireball, collapsing as the Sweet Tooths fled like cockroaches. Marcus activated his radio.

"Bob, the charges have been blown." He told him. "Send in your guys."

He looked at the cloud of dust billowing out from the factory and smiled.

"Tell them not to breathe too deeply." He added. "We don't want a bunch of guys running around with blasters as high as kites."

He was dashed to the ground, before rolling back to his feet, finding Gemma standing before him.

"That van isn't yours." She told him.

"I'm just borrowing it." He told her, pulling into a guard. "I don't want to fight you, but this city needs me."

She rushed forward, launching into a barrage of attacks, but Marcus was too quick and strong for her without the power of her suit. He twisted her arm into a painful arm lock, at which he was smashed away by a stun blast. He looked up seeing Hicks standing before him.

"You don't know what you're doing Hicks!" Marcus spat. Hicks lowered his blaster a little, slightly confused by the fact that D46 knew his name. He rushed forward, catching Hicks' wrist and twisting it, forcing him to drop the blaster.

Hicks reversed the attack, before punching him in the chest. He grabbed his shirt, but Marcus recovered a lot more quickly than he anticipated, taking him down with one punch. Hicks' grip ripped his shirt and his dog tags off him as he fell to the ground unconscious. Gemma had recovered by now and rushed to his side, protecting him.

"I don't have time for this. I have things to do." He told her, getting into the Go-Onger and starting the engine. "Tell your boyfriend he was fighting the wrong man."

As he raced away, Hicks started to come to. Gemma cradled him gently.

"Are you alright?" She asked him. Hicks rubbed the side of his head as he recovered.

"I am. Mom always said I have a hard head." He replied. He got up and walked away with her, a little embarrassed about his performance against D46, but it was then he realised he was holding something. He looked down, seeing the dog tags in his hand.

"What is it?" Gemma asked him.

"It's nothing." He lied to her.

Just before midnight, D46 arrived back in the Mayor's office, finding Chas and Fresno Bob still there.

"My guys sealed down the sector and brought down most of Newmark's guys." He informed Marcus. "We're already moving out of the sector."

"I ordered Colonel Truman to move in." Chas told him. "He's putting up the cordons as we speak."

"Newmark's no longer a concern." Marcus stated. "Now all we need to do is take out the other two."

They heard an applause from the door and turned to see Hicks standing there.

"You know, I never would have thought you'd have been able to put something like this together Chas." He said as he arrived. He threw Marcus his dog tags. "You dropped something by the way."

"Hicks, this..."

"This is probably the best chance we have of getting the city back from the point of destruction." Hicks interrupted him. "I want in."

"You want in?" Chas asked him. Hicks just nodded.

"I've been making a lot of questionable choices recently, but this is one of the few that makes sense." He explained. "I want to help. Enough people have died."

Marcus grabbed him and pulled him a little way off out of earshot. He looked at Hicks.

"You know who I am." He began.

"I do." Hicks told him. "I won't say anything."

"Why?" He asked him. Hicks just smiled.

"A warrior once wore Achilles armour in battle. Just seeing that gave his troops the heart to fight." He replied. "Right now this city needs a symbol of hope more than it needs another soldier. Right now D46 is more useful than Marcus Truman."

Marcus just slapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm pleased to have a soldier like you with me." He replied. "You're in."


	33. The Key

Ziggy had just finishing downloading a copy of the blueprints for Dr. K's delivery system for the key as Tenaya and Summer came into the room. He pulled up the printout, handing it to his girlfriend.

"I got the plans like you asked." He told them. "Do you really think you can build this?"

"I built a number of weapons for Venjix. I have a really good grasp of technology." Tenaya assured him as she spread out the plans on a work bench. "The launcher shouldn't be difficult to build; the only problem is getting the key from Dr. K's lab."

"Leave that to me." Summer told them. "I'll get it."

"Guys, what's happening?" Scott asked them. Tenaya pulled some paperwork over the plans as he came over, hiding it from view.

"Nothing really." Summer lied as she pulled closer to Tenaya in an attempt to help her cover what they were doing.

"Well I need to head into the Central Command building. Dad wants to keep me posted on the situation with the gang war." He informed them as he gathered his jacket. "Does anyone want to come with me?"

"I was thinking of going to see Ms. Foster." Ziggy told him, also gathering his jacket. He hadn't really been going to see her, but he wanted to get Scott out of the way before he figured out what they were up to. Dr. K had not sanctioned the weapon yet, likely because she wanted to test it more extensively. Scott tended to go along with her judgements anyway, but now that they were together, they knew he wouldn't side against her. If this weapon was a way to get Dillon back, Summer and Tenaya were determined to try it before he caused any more damage. "Could you give me a ride?"

"Sure thing." He replied with a little smile. "We'll see you guys later."

As Scott left, they turned back to the work bench. Tenaya checked over the plans, before gathering some components.

"Do you have everything you need?" Summer asked her. Tenaya nodded in response.

"It looks like it." She replied. "This should take me a couple of hours."

"I'll try and get that key." Summer told her. "Good luck."

Back at Venjix's fortress, Killobyte was still working on Venjix's new body when Dillon suddenly burst into life, getting out of his generation zone and marched out of the room. Killobyte watched him go.

"Where's he going?" The General demanded loudly. "I never gave him any orders!"

"I did." Venjix informed him. "Just concentrate on the task at hand."

"But Master..."

"His mission is none of your concern." Venjix told him. "Now, finish this new body. I am growing impatient."

Killobyte turned back to the console, cursing this latest development. Venjix was quickly turning Dillon into competition that he could ill afford.

Fresno Bob and Benny were in Chas' office, monitoring the efforts of the most recent development in the gang war. With Newmark and the Sweet Tooths gone, the majority of the city was now back in the grip of the military. Over 80 per cent of the map was now coloured red. There was a small zone in the south around the area of the race track that extended only a few blocks coloured in black that indicated the Scorpion Cartel's territory. Other than that, the entire south of the map was now in the hands of Colonel Truman. To the north, the white and blue zones, indicating Spike Mike and Ronan's territories respectively had also receded. Both sides had pulled back into smaller, more easily fortified positions now that the military had less to worry about, being able to concentrate on only one border.

"Both the remaining cartels are running scared, but they're now going into serious lockdown." Fresno Bob told Chas. "Hicks is running some recon in Spike Mike's territory, while D46 is keeping an eye on Ronan."

"The northern borders were secured in the early hours of the morning." Chas replied. "It looks like we're pretty close to finally ending this thing once and for all."

"Both sides are pretty heavily fortified, and given the military's strength, and the fact the others are gone, they've both been reluctant to make any moves." Fresno Bob told him. "We need to try and tempt one of them out of hiding before we can move forward; otherwise we're just going to be throwing men against a wall."

"They're not stupid; we can't rely on them breaking cover." Chas stated, thinking about the situation for a moment. "Since we can't smoke them out, maybe we can lure them out."

"What are you suggesting?" Fresno Bob asked with a little smirk on his face. Although Chas still didn't know the truth about him, he had to admit being more than a little proud with his son's leadership skills and tactical know-how. He had obviously learned a lot at the military academy.

"Both sides have been throwing out some pretty serious firepower across that side of town. While they got a new shipment from Newmark last night, I have to imagine that ammo's going to be becoming a problem. I say we dangle a carrot they can't ignore, and make them think they're going to get what they want."

He pulled up surveillance footage of a ruined plaza deep within the contested zone.

"This area forms the perfect place for an ambush." He told them. "I just want to wait on the recon reports from Hicks and D46."

"Benny, could you give us a minute?" Bob asked him. Benny just nodded his head and left the room. He knew that this moment was coming. Chas needed to know the truth, Fresno Bob owed him that much. He also knew that despite the risk, despite it not being the best of times for him to face a revelation of this magnitude, Bob needed him to know before the end of the war.

"Chas, there's something I really need to talk to you about, something that won't be easy to hear, or to believe." He began with a sigh, gesturing for Chas to take a seat. He looked up at the gang lord from his chair a little confused. "Chas, your mother and I had an affair."

"Excuse me?" Chas asked him, a little taken aback by this. "Bob, you were dad's friend! How could you betray him like that?"

"It's not something I'm especially proud of." He explained as he continued. "As you know, they were arranged. They were never especially close. Your mother and I felt an attraction between us, and we acted on it."

"Why are you telling me this?" Chas asked him. "What possible good could it do to know about this now?"

"When we get rid of Spike Mike and Ronan, there's one more step we'll need to take to secure this city once and for all." Fresno Bob told him. "The most dangerous and difficult thing to do will be to dismantle my own gang, once we have the rest of the city, we have to destroy the Scorpion Cartel."

"They're your gang." Chas replied with a little confusion. "Can't you just order them to disband?"

"I always wanted to work towards the day the Cartel was no longer needed, but that doesn't mean everyone else does." Bob explained. "A lot of guys in my organisation are career criminals who have made a lot of money, and stand to lose a fortune. They aren't just going to pack up and go home because I say so."

He sighed and shook his head.

"It's also possible I won't survive the attempt to destroy the Cartel." He informed him. "If that's the case, I need you to know the truth."

"What truth?" Chas asked him. "That you slept with my mother?"

"I need you to know that the reason I started all of this was to make sure my children had a world they could be safe in." He told him. "My affair with your mother ended just short of a year before you were born."

He handed Chas the results of the DNA test Dr. K had run on him all that time ago. Chas just looked at him in disbelief.

"Charles isn't your father. I am." He concluded. Chas just sat at his desk, unable to speak. He finally looked up at him.

"You said your children." He reminded him. "I never knew you had any kids."

"I only found out about you a short time ago." Fresno Bob informed him. "Charles kept that from me for all these years."

"So you had other kids?" Chas asked him. Bob nodded in response.

"I had another son." Fresno Bob informed him. "You have a half-brother."

"Is he still alive?" Chas asked him.

"He is, he's been in Corinth all this time." Bob replied. "It's Ziggy."

Over in the Garage, Summer slipped quietly into Dr. K's lab, finding her, Gem and Gemma working on the Rail Sabre. The twins were building it, while Dr. K was working on the programming. Summer crept around the edge of the lab, making sure the others were paying attention to their respective tasks as she approached a unit on one side of the room, carefully opening a drawer in it as quietly as she could.

She lifted out the key, slipping it into her pocket, before closing the drawer and making her way around the room, back to the door. Going back into the main room, she ran to Tenaya's side, finding her putting the finishing touches on the launcher.

"It's finished." Tenaya informed her, holding up the weapon and presenting it to her. "Do you have...?"

"Piece of cake." Summer replied, patting her pocket gently. "Now all we need is to find Dillon."

With that, she took the launcher from Tenaya and they both ran out of the Garage, unaware of the possible risk.

Back at Venjix's fortress, Killobyte had just finished work on Venjix's new body when Dillon strode back into the room, carrying a case. Killobyte activated the claw, lifting Venjix's new form out of the generation chamber.

"Did you achieve the objective?" Venjix asked him. Dillon held the case up.

"I have attained what you asked Master Venjix." He declared proudly.

"Did you encounter any resistance?" Crunch asked him. Dillon turned his head slightly, smirking.

"There was nothing I couldn't handle." He answered in a sneer. "The guards were no match for me."

Venjix downloaded himself into his new body, approaching Dillon slowly. Dillon got down on one knee before him, presenting the case to him.

"You have done well Ragnarok." Venjix complimented him. Just then an alarm sounded, at which Venjix pulled up a display, finding Summer and Tenaya making their way out into the wastes.

"It appears two of the Rangers are a little far from home." Venjix told them. "Perhaps we should show them what happens..."

"Allow me Master Venjix." Dillon interrupted him. "It looks like my sister and my ex want to play at being the hero."

"You have served me well Ragnarok; you deserve the reward of this honour." Venjix told him. "Go, destroy them."

"As you wish Master Venjix." Dillon replied, making his way from the main chamber and getting into The Fury. He gunned the engine, heading out into the wastes to confront them. He had let them go with their lives before, and they had turned down the pass he had granted them. Now, they had to pay for their defiance.

Scott and Ziggy came back into the Garage as the alarms sounded. Flynn and the others all quickly formed up in the room, but they looked around in confusion. Summer and Tenaya were conspicuous by their absence.

"What's going on?" Scott asked as he came to Dr. K's side. "The city alert..."

"The shields have been breached, but nothing has entered the city." Dr. K told him. She pulled up another display, finding the signal from Summer and Tenaya's morphers heading away from the city.

"Summer and Tenaya have gone out of the dome?" Flynn asked incredulously. "What are they thinking? Venjix will have picked them up by now."

"Summer, come in!" Scott called over the communicator. "Summer, come back, do you read me? Tenaya, someone answer me!"

"They're not listening." Flynn called out. "What are they doing?"

Gemma noticed Ziggy acting a little shiftily as he listened to them panicking over the girl's departure. She looked at him accusingly.

"Ziggy, do you know something about this?" Gemma asked him. He shook his head, but he couldn't look her in the eyes. Scott grabbed his jacket, shaking him aggressively.

"Don't lie to us Ziggy; they've gone out into the wastes!" He snapped at the Green Ranger. "They could be attacked at any minute..."

"The Fury just showed up on the scanner." Flynn interrupted him, pointing to the screen. "It's heading straight for them."

"Dillon's heading right for them!" Scott yelled at Ziggy. "Ziggy what..."

"That's exactly what they were planning." He informed them as he finally broke his silence. He looked at Dr. K as Scott looked at him angrily. "They overheard you say that the key could break the code of the virus."

Dr. K ran into her lab, and over to the unit, searching through the drawer, and finding to her horror that the key was missing. She ran back in, glaring at the Green Ranger angrily.

"Ziggy, they don't know how to use it!" She shrieked, slapping him as hard as she could. "The key is as good as useless to them!"

"That isn't entirely true." He replied, glancing at the work bench. Gem went over to it, and swept the tools off it, finding the plans for the launcher. He handed them to Dr. K. "I hacked into your files and got the plans for the weapon. They're going to use it on him."

"Did you really think I would let Venjix have Dillon in his grasp if there was an option?" Dr. K asked him. "I want to get Dillon back too."

"So why didn't you tell us about the weapon?" Ziggy asked her.

"I didn't because there is a chance it will do more than just deactivate the virus in his systems." Dr. K informed him. "It could put all his systems into complete shutdown."

"Shutdown?" Flynn asked her, his eyes wide in fear. He didn't like the way this was going. "But the bionics are liked to all of his systems. If they shut down..."

"They don't know." Flynn gasped. "We have to stop them before they use that launcher!"

"We'll take my car." Scott called out, rushing to his racer. Flynn ran to the other door getting in.

"Guys, I..."

"Stay here Ziggy!" Scott reprimanded him as he climbed in. "I think you've done enough don't you?"

As Scott sped away, Ziggy slumped down into the sofa and buried his face in his hands. He had been worried about this plan earlier, but in his desperation to get his friend back, to return him to the women that cared about him so much, he had acted hastily and without thinking. Now it was possible that instead of his saviour, whoever took the shot would be his assassin.

Tenaya and Summer paused to take a breather having been wandering for some time. Summer looked back towards Corinth, shielding her eyes with her hand.

"We should have taken a vehicle." She told Tenaya. "Without one we can't afford to lose sight of Corinth. If we do, we might never make it back."

Just then, they heard the familiar roar of The Fury's engine as it powered through the desert towards them. They came together and stood fast as the car raced up to them, skidding to a halt a little way from them. Dillon stepped out of the car, turning to face them.

"You're a long way from home." He commented. "You really ought to be more careful."

"We came to bring you home." Summer told him. "I want Dillon back."

"Dillon is gone sweetheart." He replied. Summer moved to level the launcher at him, but Dillon swatted it from her hand, before kicking her hard in the stomach, winding her. "I'm Ragnarok."

Tenaya launched herself into a powerful flying kick, but Dillon caught her foot, spinning her through the air and slamming her down onto the sand.

Summer reached into her jacket for her morpher, but Dillon kicked it away, before grabbing her and lifting her up, holding her closely. He smiled at her as he ran a hand across her cheek.

"You know I kind of miss the way your skin feels." He told her as he looked into her eyes, chilling her slightly as he caressed her face. "Perhaps I will not need to destroy you. Maybe Master Venjix will allow me to keep you as a pet."

Tenaya screamed as she slammed a fist into his face, causing him to drop Summer. She threw several attacks, forcing him onto the defensive, before he finally caught her arms twisting them and holding her fast.

"You are no match for me little sister." He said to her as he turned her around, forcing her to the ground, twisting her arm painfully. "Did you really think you would be able to defeat me?"

He looked up as he heard an engine, and saw Scott's car coming towards him at speed. He smirked as he picked Tenaya up, before throwing her aside.

"It looks like your friends want a piece of me too." He commented as the car skidded to a halt. Flynn and Scott got out, and ran towards him.

Summer meanwhile, had just gotten her bearings and scrambled over to where the launcher lay on the sand, snatching it up. She levelled it at her fiancée, taking careful aim. Tears ran down her face as she got her target.

"Summer no!" Scott screamed as he saw her, but he was too late. Pulling the trigger, she launched the key, striking him squarely in the chest. Flynn and Scott could only watch as he fell to the ground, thrashing around wildly.

"What's happening to him?" Tenaya yelled as she saw this. Scott ran to his side, grabbing him.

"Dr. K, we're too late." He called over the communicator. "The key's been used."

"Scott, what's going on?" Summer sobbed, looking down at Dillon in anguish as he continued to jerk around on the ground. "What did I do to him?"

"Flynn, there's a defibrillator in the trunk of Scott's car." Dr. K told him. "Use it as necessary to get Dillon back here. I need to examine him in my lab."

"Dr. K what's happening?" Summer demanded of her.

"His cybernetic systems are going into catastrophic shutdown." Dr. K informed her. "The current in the defibrillator can be used to keep his systems going until we can get him to the lab. If his system shuts down completely, he will die."


	34. Dillon's Fight

Scott's car powered into the Garage, barely missing the doors as they opened and screeching to a halt as Dr. K, Gem and Gemma all came in from the lab pushing a gurney. Scott got out of the driver's door, moving around to the other side and opening it, pouring Dillon's lifeless form onto the floor. Since he had been shot by Summer, the code from the key had reacted violently with the virus in his system and caused them all to go into complete shutdown. Flynn had rigged up a defibrillator to pass a regular current through his body to power his life support systems and strapped it to his chest. It was a rush job, but so far it was the only chance they had to stop him dying.

Flynn came in next, leaping out of The Fury, followed by Summer and Tenaya as Gem and Gemma lifted Dillon onto the gurney. They fastened him to it with strong, metal restraints for safety, just in case his strength returned enough to attack them.

"His heart is still beating." Dr. K informed them. "Get him into the lab. We need to work quickly to stabilize him."

"Dillon..."

"Summer, they need room to move." Scott told her, grabbing her tightly and holding her back. "You can't do anything for him, let them work."

She turned into him, hugging him tightly as she watched him being taken away from her yet again. Her heart broke all over again as she saw the door closing behind them. This was now the second time she had watched him being taken from her as a result of her own actions. This time though, it was possible that she had eliminated any chance of getting him back. Looking at how worried everyone was, it looked almost hopeless. She wept into his shoulder as her heart ached, knowing that she could be within hours of losing him forever, but knowing that she would have to live with the knowledge that she was the one that killed him.

Tenaya meanwhile sat on the couch with Ziggy, pulling into him as they comforted each other. They had both been so desperate to get Dillon back, that they had enacted a plan that Dr. K had not yet sanctioned. With hindsight, they could now see that it was unlikely that Dr. K would have found a plan and not shared it with them without good reason. Now though, it was so obvious. She hadn't told them because she wanted time to reclaim Dillon and analyse him properly to get a better idea of what had been done to him, and how the key would affect his systems. She was only trying to protect them and Dillon.

Meanwhile, inside the lab, Dr. K and the twins were busy working. Dr. K started to hook him up to several machines, plunging a variety of scanners and probes into his flesh.

"Gem, set Dillon up on a couple of drips." She instructed him. "I've prepared a special mixture for him. Gemma, pull up some schematics of his implants. Let's see exactly what Venjix put into him."

"I've got the drip hooked up." Gem informed her as he started to hook up a device to him. "This should put enough of a current through him to keep his heart beating. I'm unhooking Flynn's defibrillator."

He unstrapped the makeshift device and pulled it away. Dr. K held her breath for a second, before breathing a sigh of relief.

"His heart beat's still erratic, but at least it's beating." She told them. "His brain is showing activity. We still have him. How is the scan on the implants coming?"

"It's about 40 percent complete." Gemma replied. "I should be able to pull up an image soon."

Dillon muttered something beneath the oxygen mask that had been placed over his face. Gem looked at him a little curiously.

"What did he say?" The Gold Ranger asked her. Dr. K shook her head.

"His systems are shutting down and he's on enough drugs to deck a herd of buffalo." She reminded him. "I doubt he's in a state to say anything. He's probably just babbling. Keep working, we need to keep him going until we know what the situation is with the new implants."

Dillon continued to mutter a little as images came to him. His mind raced through a whirlwind of images, before coming to one that he could never remember seeing before.

A small, dark haired woman wrestled in the door of a tiny apartment in a run-down area of town with a couple of large, heavy suitcases. She was followed shortly afterwards by her two children. The first was a boy around 12 years old, who was leading his younger sister, a 9 year old blind girl into their new home. The mother dropped the cases on the floor a little way inside the apartment. It was a tiny, dark, dismal looking place. The carpet was worn, and a little threadbare in places. There was a sofa in the middle of the room that had been covered with a dust sheet as a result of the length of time this apartment had been empty. The paint was peeling and aging badly. She flicked on the light, which barely made much difference in the late hour.

"Can I help you?" The little boy asked, noticing the strain on his mother's face. Their lives had been changed dramatically in the last few hours. They had just been thrown out of the only home he had ever really known, the family they lived with turning on them in an instant. His heart felt cold in his chest, and his voice was a little weak. His mother looked at him sadly. She could see what was troubling him.

"Look after your sister Freddy." She instructed her son quietly. "She isn't used to the layout of the apartment. I don't want her to hurt herself."

"But the bags..."

"I'll get the rest of the bags Freddy." She interrupted him. "Just stay with your sister."

He nodded and sat down with her on the couch, holding her gently. His sister held his hand.

"This place smells funny." She whispered. "It doesn't smell as good as..."

"It's dirty." Freddy told her. "It's dirty, and old and small..."

"I feel cold." She complained. Freddy looked around, failing to find any sign of a thermostat, heating unit, or even a log fire. He opened one of the suitcases, and found a dressing gown, pulling it around her protectively, before holding her close to him for comfort. Julie just settled into his grip. He felt her breathe a sigh and looked down, finding her crying.

"Why did they yell at us?" She asked him. "I don't like this place. It smells and I don't know it. I want to go home!"

"We can't go home, they kicked us out." Freddy told her. "We have to live here now."

"But Summer's our friend, she loves us!" Julie pleaded with him. "She can tell them we're sorry, she can make them take us back."

"No she can't." Freddy told her sadly as he held her closer, allowing her to weep on his shoulder as his own tears began. He hated this place, but more than anything else, he hated the feeling he got as he watched his mother struggling with their luggage, and the look on her face as she worried about getting a new job and how she would be able to afford enough to afford even this decrepit hell hole of an apartment. He hated the fact that his family had been forced to live like this, but more than anything, he hated the fact that it was his fault that it had happened. They had lost everything because of that kiss he had shared with Summer.

Back in the lab, Gemma threw her arms up in triumph, yelling as the scan finished.

"I have a full schematic." She informed Dr. K. She ran over and began inspecting it, her brows furrowed as she looked at it.

"This is a mess!" She exclaimed, checking out the plans on the screen. "The technology is sophisticated, as sophisticated as anything Venjix has made, but the way it's put together seems so...haphazard. Can you get a closer look?"

"I can try for a more detailed scan." Gemma informed her.

"Gem, how are his vitals?" Dr. K asked him. Gem shook his head.

"He's the same." He replied with a shrug. "He's stable for now, but it's the machines doing the work for him. His systems are giving up."

"I came as soon as I could." Sam greeted them as she arrived. Dr. K had asked her to come for some additional assistance. "What can I do to help?"

"Right now you can help Gem keep track of his biology." Dr. K told her. "Once I have a better idea what we're doing, we may just need all the help we can get."

Meanwhile, out in the Garage, Summer was on the couch with Tenaya and Ziggy, all of them comforting each other, while Flynn was working on one of the monitors in the main room. Scott came over to him, tapping him on the shoulder.

"What are you doing Flynn?" He asked him.

"I'm setting up a link into the lab." He informed the Red Ranger.

"Do you really think that's such a great idea?" He asked him, casting a glance over to the others. "I doubt watching whatever they're doing in there is going to make them feel any better."

"I doubt they could feel much worse." Flynn told him. "Maybe seeing that he's in good hands is just what they need."

"Is it Dillon you want to watch or Sam?" Scott asked him. Flynn just sighed.

"She is pregnant Scott." He reminded him. "I just worry about her working too hard."

"She knows her limits Flynn." Scott reminded him. "Besides, I'm sure Dr. K would never ask her to do anything that would risk harming the baby."

"I guess you're right." Flynn responded. "I just think I'd feel a little better about it if I could keep an eye on her."

Back inside Dillon's mind, the memories had moved on a few years. He was now in High School. He had never known his father, he had left a little after Julie had been born, apparently unwilling to take care of a blind daughter, but he guessed he took something from his father, because he had undergone an incredible growth spurt. He now towered over his mother and his sister, and was even tall compared to a lot of his classmates, and he had taken to exercise with enthusiasm, becoming quite athletic. On this day in particular, he was sitting on the bench as the kids around him groaned loudly. One of his classmates was helped out of the boxing ring in the centre of the gym as their rivals from out of town cheered.

"It's just as well we saved the best for last." His coach muttered, turning to him. It was the annual kickboxing showcase held between the two schools. It was meant to be friendly competition, though it usually got a little heated and competitive around game time. One of the assistant coaches was checking over the kid that had been taken out of the match.

"Well that nose is broken." He informed the head coach. "It looks like it's down to the last match."

The head coach turned to Dillon as he stood up, pulling off his tracksuit top. The coach started to strap on his gloves.

"We need to win this match for the contest." The coach told him. "Just concentrate Fred, you can do this. I shouldn't tell you this, but there's something that should help you..."

"I can see them." He informed the coach, smiling over at his mother. She and his sister were sitting in the stands a couple of rows back. His mother was whispering in Julie's ear, letting her know what was going on. The coach drew his attention back.

"Fred, there's something else." He told him. "Do you see that guy in the red jacket two rows from the back?" He asked him. Fred looked into the stands, finding the guy he was talking about and nodded. "He's a scout for the state college. He's here to watch you in this match, he could offer you a scholarship!"

"Are you serious?" He asked him. The coach nodded. He knew money was tight in the Kitchner household. Fred's mom worked two jobs just to make ends meet, and Fred had taken a job to help put money away for college. He knew it would be a huge weigh off them if he managed to land this scholarship. Despite him wanting to stay close to his sister to help take care of her, his mom wanted him to go to college and try to get a good job. He smiled as he looked back to his coach.

"Just keep your mind on the fight." The coach told him. "Do it for the team!"

Fred pulled himself into the ring, quickly getting ready as his opponent joined him. Knowing it was potentially one of the most important things he'd ever do, he focused on him, flying at him in a hurricane of attacks as soon as the referee called for the bell. It was less than a minute before the referee called an end to the match, and Fred left the ring victorious. His fellow students came to congratulate him, but he just pushed past them, powering up the steps to his mother's seat in the stands, hugging her and his sister.

He looked up to the scout and smiled as he saw him nodding thoughtfully, marking something down on his clip board. He didn't need to wait on the letter being sent to know that he was in. Things were finally looking up for his family.

It was almost a year later, and he was in his first year at college. He was finally starting to be happy. Since earning the scholarship, things were a little easier around their apartment. It was now fairly well decorated, warm, and although it was a little cramped, with him and Julie still being forced to share a room, it was now a lot easier to live in. College was only a few blocks from his home, meaning that he could still live there and attend his classes, which he not only loved, since it meant he could still be close to his mother and sister, but it also meant he saved money on accommodations.

He was packing his bag for school when he heard the distinctive clicking of Julie's white cane rebounding off the floor and the walls.

"Fred, you don't have to be in college for an hour." Julie reminded him. "What's the hurry?"

"I wanted to drop into the store and pick up my rota for the week." He told her.

"Have you seen mom?" She asked him. "She promised to take me to the store this afternoon."

"She's probably still sleeping." He suggested. "She did get home pretty late from work last night. If you're hungry I could make you something before I go."

"No offence Fred, but I'm already missing one sense." She teased him. "I don't want to risk losing my sense of taste too."

She went through to their mother's room to try and wake her as Fred just laughed. He was indeed a pretty awful cook. He dropped the book he was holding as he heard Julie screaming from their mother's room. He ran in to find her hunched in the corner sobbing.

"She's cold." Julie sobbed. "She's not breathing!"

Fred held her as she sobbed, looking over to their mother, lying on the bed. She looked so peaceful, for possibly the first time in years. She had just slipped quietly as she slept. He cradled Julie closely and kissed the top of her head.

"It'll be alright." He said softly, trying to reassure her, but feeling none of the certainty he was trying to convey. They were now on their own. "I'll take care of everything, I promise."

Back in the lab, Dr. K paced impatiently as she waited for the more detailed schematics. She was becoming deeply frustrated by the fact everything they did seemed to be nothing more than a stall, like keeping an engine running after the needle hit empty just in case it wouldn't start up again. Gemma finally finished with the deeper analysis, printing out some blueprints and bringing them to another work bench, before spreading them out. Dr. K joined her, inspecting them carefully.

"Sections of these implants look like they did before." Gemma commented. "I think it's possible that Shifter didn't replace anything. I think he just added new components to the old cybernetics."

"That would explain why it all looks so haphazard." Dr. K commented. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"I have a theory. I'll tell you once I print out the last blueprint we had of Dillon's make up and overlay it." She told her.

"Keep me posted on anything you have." Dr. K instructed her, before going back to her own work. "How are things going there Gem?"

"His vitals are starting to slip." Gem answered.

"Work faster Gemma, we need to stabilize him." Dr. K yelled as she raced to his side. "Sam, I'll need your help."

"She looked down on Dillon sadly as she worked.

"Hold on Dillon, we're working on something." She told him. "Please, you have to give us more time. Don't give up yet."

In his mind, Dillon was working hard, tending a bar a few blocks from their apartment. In the weeks following his mother's death, he knew that he would need money to take care of Julie, and so had taken the only course available to him and dropped out of college. He was now working two separate jobs to support both of them, one in a local warehouse, and another tending a bar. He looked over to the corner where Julie was sitting. He always insisted she go to the bar when he was working there, since he didn't really feel comfortable with her being in the apartment alone at night. The owner was understanding about their situation, and was happy to let her just sit in the corner with a Braille book, and occasionally order a coffee.

A couple of men in suits came into the bar, talking and laughing, taking a seat right by the bar. Fred always had a knack for ascertaining what the customers were like by the way they acted. It was something he learned to be able to clamp down quickly on potential trouble makers. These guys all wore expensive suits, large, noticeable designer watches and silk ties. They were already pulling out money, and making a lot of noise, drawing attention to themselves to make sure no one missed them. They were big-shots, at least in their heads. Fred made his way over to them, smiling.

"What can I get you gentlemen?" He asked them. The man closest to him turned back to him, smiling, flashing expensive orthodontics his way and sweeping some of his thick, blonde hair back out of his face.

"A bottle of your finest Champagne." He instructed him, handing over far more money than was necessary. It wasn't a terribly posh place, by comparison to the kind of place he'd expect to see these guys going, it was more than a little of a dive. They only had one bottle that could be termed as anything close to 'champagne', and it was only about 20 dollars a bottle. "Keep the change."

Fred just shrugged and went to fetch their order, pouring them each a glass and leaving the bottle. The blonde guy turned back to his guests.

"To the deal that's going to make us all even richer." He said to them, as one of the guys slipped from the room. They all clicked their glasses together, before starting to drink. Dillon looked up as a couple of men came in, looking at the hot-shots and approaching them. Fred noticed one of them reaching into his jacket pocket and pull out a switchblade.

He leapt over the bar, kicking him to the ground, before nailing the second with a hard elbow.

The hot-shots all cowered to the back of the bar as they saw the commotion. A third attacker brought a bottle down in a wide arc. Dillon blocked it, the bottle shattering across his arm and spraying glass around the room, before grabbing him and slamming him face first into a table. The blonde guy approached them, looking at them in horror.

"I've seen that guy, he works for Fulton." He gasped.

"You know who these jokers are?" Fred asked him. "What did they want?"

"I bought out his boss' company this morning." He replied. "I guess he wasn't happy about it."

"It looks that way." Fred replied. The blonde guy looked at him a little curiously.

"You're bleeding." He told him. It was only then Fred noticed that a piece of flying glass had cut his right brow. "We should get that looked at. I'll have my guy..."

"It'll be fine." Fred interrupted him as he went over to the corner where Julie was panicking a little. He talked to her reassuringly, telling her that he was fine. The blonde guy came up to him, clearing his throat.

"Listen, you just saved my butt here. I was wondering if you would be interested in a job." He asked him.

"I have a job here." Fred replied, looking back to Julie. The blonde guy just laughed.

"What do you earn here kid? 50? 60 bucks a night?"

"On a good night I get 200 in tips." He told him. "Now..."

"If you work for me, you'll earn that in an hour." The blonde guy interrupted him, putting down a business card. Fred looked at it, reading the name.

"Keith Masters, record producer?" He asked him.

"As you can see my security is somewhat lax!" Keith yelled, glaring over at the corner where his bodyguard was busy 'entertaining' a girl from the bar. "I think I need some new blood on my security team. How would you like to be a bodyguard?"

"I'm sorry, thanks but no." Fred replied. "I have responsibilities..."

"Is this your girl?" Keith asked him, pointing to Julie. She just groaned. She always got frustrated when people talked about her like she wasn't in the room.

"I'm his sister." She replied sarcastically, holding up her cane. "I'm blind, not deaf."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." Keith stated as he looked at her. He turned back to Fred. "I like her."

"I have to take care..."

"Bring her with you." Keith told him. "I do have 38 bedrooms, I'm sure I could spare one for her."

Fred thought about it for a moment. He had only known this man for a couple of minutes, and he was offering them a home and a high paying job? It sounded too good to be true. He turned to the one person whose judgement he always trusted when it came to getting a measure of people.

"What do you think?" He asked his sister. She always noticed the subtle differences in the way people talked when they were trying to pull a fast one.

"He's an arrogant jerk." She told him. "But he was telling the truth."

"You know I am still standing right here." Keith commented.

"I know." Julie replied curtly. He just laughed.

"I really like her." Keith stated as the cops arrived and collected their attackers. "You're a straight talker, I like that. I meet a lot of bullshitters in my line of work. So am I telling your boss you don't work here anymore?"

Fred thought about it for a moment, wiping blood off the side of his face. He looked to Julie once more and smiled.

Back in the lab, Dr. K and Sam were working frantically on Dillon as his vitals continued to plummet.

"Gemma, please tell me you have something!" Dr. K begged her.

"I'm working as fast as I can!" Gemma shrieked at her.

"Well I hope you find something soon." Sam said sadly. "We don't have long left, maybe only a couple of minutes before we lose him."

Back in his mind, Dillon remembered the night the Drones came. He had come back with Keith after another meeting to his huge mansion high in the Los Angeles hills. He arrived, finding Julie, as usual, studying hard with Braille books. Since they had moved into the mansion, she had started to study at a local college as a way to pass the time when Fred was away on shift. It was understood that when he was in the mansion, unless Keith called for him, he was off shift, allowing him plenty of time t take care of his sister.

He leapt over the back of the couch, landing beside her, giving her a fright and causing her to yelp loudly. He laughed at her reaction, which only annoyed her. She turned and hit him in the chest.

"You scared the life out of me!" She complained. "How was it?"

"It was another snooze fest." He replied. "What are you reading?"

"I'm studying Egyptian History." She told him, showing him the cover of the book. "It's really fascinating."

"Well all I know about Egypt is the 10 plagues." Fred laughed in response. "That's only cause they made it into a movie."

Julie was about to answer, when she paused. Her face slipped a little, and her head jerked upwards. Fred looked at her curiously.

"What is it?" He asked her.

"Do you hear that?" She said in reply. "It sounds like…bugs."

"What are you talking about? I don't hear…" His words tailed off as he too heard a noise that sounded like insect wings. He got up and went to the window, in time to see Venjix fighters descending on the city. Explosions flared up all over the city, engulfing it in flames. He ran over, grabbing Julie and starting to run.

"Keith, we have to get out of here, NOW!" Fred roared. Almost on cue, the corpse of his employer flew into the room from the balcony, crashing through a shelving unit. Grinders rushed into the room, surrounding them.

"Get away from her!" He screamed as one of them grabbed her. He kicked it backwards, smashing it into a wall. He then proceeded to take down a few more before he was restrained. One of them levelled a blaster at him, but seemed to pause, almost as though receiving other instructions. It moved forward, bringing it's weapon down, at which the world faded to black. All he could hear as he lost consciousness was Julie screaming. He had failed her.

Dr. K, Gem, Gemma and Sam all came into the main room of the Garage where the others awaited word on his condition. Summer came forward hopefully, but the expression on their faces said what she dreaded, even before she shook her head sadly.

"His system has shut down completely." Dr. K informed them. "There was nothing we could do."

Summer just stared at them, horrified, unable to breathe as she heard them say this. Tenay was quick to hold her as the others all took stock. Flynn held Sam, knowing tat she would be upset by this.

"You tried your best." Scott assured his girlfriend. "We couldn't have asked anything more of…"

"What's that?" Ziggy asked, drawing their attention to a screen. It came up, indicating some activity in Dillon's systems. Gemma inspected it.

"It's his self resuscitation system, it's kicked in." She told them. She pulled up the schematics to see what was going on. She smiled and wiped away a tear as she saw it. "Dr. K come and look at this!"

Dr. K came over, inspecting the analysis of activity within him.

"The code for the key has completely eradicated the virus, but it was only compatible with the series 15 technology in his body." She informed them. "Shifter never replaced the series 7 technology, he only added series 15 upgrades to what was already there!"

"What are you saying doc?" Flynn asked her.

"The key's code was only compatible with the series 15 technology." She told him excitedly. "The life support system in the series 7 technology is rebooting!"

"You mean he's alive?" Summer asked her hopefully. Dr. K grabbed Sam ad the twins.

"He is for now, but the series 15 technology is now inert and needs to be removed." Se told them. "Come on guys, we have a long night ahead of us."


	35. The Long Night

In his mind, Dillon came to, finding himself lying in a steel camp bed. Trying to move, he found himself strapped to the bed, allowing him very little movement. Looking around his bed, he noticed that he was attached to a drip, and several other medical devices. If he wasn't strapped down, he might have considered the idea that he had been found in the ruins of the mansion and taken to a M.A.S.H unit. His theory was confirmed as he heard the distinctive sound of the robots that had attacked him earlier. He craned his neck to look up from the bed, confirming that the 'medics' working in this perverse facsimile of a medical unit were Grinders.

He struggled, to no avail to free himself, until another robot came over to him. It was black, and had a cloak trailing behind it. Its chest plate featured a red decoration that looked a little like a tie, and it wore some kind of medal. Looking into its face, he could see that it was black, and its features were smooth. It had a lens over one of its burning red eyes in a parody of a monocle, and had a design atop its head that looked like slicked back hair. It was like it had been created as a parody of a German Officer from a bad World War 2 film.

"This one is strong; he recovered consciousness far more quickly than I would have anticipated." Killobyte mused, gesturing over a Grinder. "I don't want to take any chances, increase his sedation."

The Grinder started to adjust the drip, at which Fred renewed his struggle, but he quickly found his strength leaving him, and he gave up struggling.

"Freddy, where are you?" He heard Julie calling out from the bed next to him. He looked to the side, seeing her lying there, also strapped to the bed. He reached over, finding himself only just short of being able to reach her.

"I'm here Julie." He told her. "I'm right next to you."

She reached her hand across as far as the straps would allow, and fumbled around, finally finding his hand and grabbing it.

"Where are we?" She asked him. "What's happening?"

"I don't know." He replied honestly, looking around for some indication, but the tent prevented him seeing anything outside the 'surgery'. Just then, a couple of Grinders carried in the limp form of another prisoner, dragging him towards Killobyte. The new arrival was wearing some kind of flight suit, and bearing the insignia on the shoulder of the air force. Parts of it were scorched; others were torn, exposing injuries. Killobyte lifted the head of the dark-skinned stranger, looking into his face. One of the Grinders chirped and bleeped at him in a nonsensical manner, though it was clear that it was some kind of computerised code that Killobyte could understand.

"He managed to escape his plane before it crashed eh?" Killobyte asked. The Grinder continued to make sounds. "He took down three of your patrol, even with these injuries? That is impressive. He might just be a perfect candidate after all. Strap him to bed D46 and inject him with the regeneration serum. Once this latest batch is healthy enough to transport, take them to the plant in Omega City. I have a good feeling about this batch."

Fred felt his sister's grip on his hand tighten, and returned the gesture. Just like her, he was terrified. He didn't know what they had planned for them, but whatever it was, they were sure it wasn't good.

Back in the lab, Dr. K and Sam were busy preparing surgical equipment as Gem and Gemma switched all the scanners back on. Dr. K noticed Sam looking a little worried and came to her side.

"If you want to rest..."

"You'll need all the help you can get." She interrupted her. "I'm just a little nervous. I know I worked on Tenaya before, but this is far more extensive. I'm usually used to the people I open up already being dead."

"If you ever feel uncomfortable or need a rest, there's a cot in the corner." Dr. K said in response. "Just remember you need to take care of yourself too. You have the baby to worry about."

"This is going to be a long one." Sam commented, looking at the main screen as Gem and Gemma came to their side. "We're going to be working right through the night on this."

"It's probably best to take it in shifts." Dr. K stated. "Gem and Gemma don't have medical knowledge, so you and I need to be on opposite shifts. They can assist with the mechanical components."

"He's stabilising right now, so it's best we start soon." Sam stated, handing Dr. K a scalpel. "Do you mind taking the first shift?"

"Gem, you and Sam get some rest. I'll wake you in a couple of hours." Dr. K informed them. She stepped over to Dillon, holding the scalpel a little way over his eyebrow. "I really hope I'm right, that Venjix gave you some of that regenerative serum recently."

Back inside his mind, Dillon remembered coming to, finding himself held firmly in place. He could only see out of a small, circular window directly in front of him. He appeared to be in some kind of factory. He could see very little, but what he could see was that the wall was a couple of large, blue pods with only a single circular window directly opposite him, and he figured that he was in one too. He became aware of a slight ache across most of his body, though he was unable to move or see what had been done to him. He couldn't even see where his sister was. A Grinder walked up to his pod, carrying some form of restraint that looked slightly akin to a pair of metal stocks. It reached forward, opening the pod, and inspected him for a second, before opening the restraints, when he heard a loud crash coming from his right. The Grinder turned in time to be smashed to smithereens by the dark-skinned prisoner he had seen in the tent, but now he looked different. He was dressed only in a surgical gown, but from what little he could see of his flesh on his arms and legs, he had been subjected to some kind of surgical procedure, but that it looked like the surgeon was unskilled, and had hacked him open randomly, stitching him back together at random. He looked at Fred, as though considering releasing him, but the alarm sounded, at which he ran off. Fred heard a number of other Grinders being destroyed, before Killobyte came to him and kicked some spare parts aside.

"Well I see we finally have some successful subjects." Killobyte commented. He de-activated the restraints holding Dillon in place, before snapping him into the restraints the Grinder had been carrying. He hauled him back to his feet and started to drag him along.

Fred looked around in awe as he saw the scene of devastation. Grinders were smashed, but the damage looked to be impossible for an unarmed human to inflict. They were reduced to scrap, barely recognisable. Looking to the ground level, he could see a steel door had been ripped off, and was left lying on the floor like a piece of scrap paper. Killobyte jerked his arm, bringing his attention back to the pathway. He looked up, seeing his sister being dragged out of her pod by some Grinders, and snapped into a pair of restraints. Her arms and legs were covered in a mass of scars just like the prisoner who had escaped. He then realised why he had felt that ache as he looked down on his own arms and finding the same scars.

"What have you done to us?" Fred demanded of him as they were led down stairs towards the loading area. "Tell me what you've done to us!"

"Just be quiet and get in the truck subject D44." Killobyte ordered him as they arrived at a transport vehicle with his sister and four other prisoners. He levelled a blaster in the direction of his sister. "If you value D45's life as much as I believe you do, you will settle down. I only need one successful subject, and with six of you, I believe I could afford to lose one more."

Fred looked over to where his sister was shaking uncontrollably. Even though she couldn't see the blaster pointed at her, she had heard Killobyte's threat. He couldn't do anything to save her in this situation. He just bowed his head and made his way over to her, only to be pulled away.

"She's blind!" He reminded them. "She can't get onto the truck by herself!"

"Blind? Now that does provide us with an interesting opportunity to experiment." Killobyte stated. "Get them onto the truck; guide the girl to her seat. I think Venjix would be most interested to hear this."

Fred just got onto the truck, before being secured to the seat. Julie was guided into the seat opposite him, and secured in place. He still had no idea what had been done to them, or what these robots had planned for them. All he knew was that he needed to stay as close to his sister as they would allow. As she sobbed, still terrified by their plight, Fred felt his heart sinking. He couldn't even hold her to comfort her, she was too far away.

"I'm closing this section." Dr. K informed Gem, getting a needle and some surgical thread. It had taken nearly five hours, but they had removed the additional implants from his head and his right arm. She started stitching, gesturing to the scans. "How are his vitals looking?"

"His pulse and heartbeat are weak, but they're steady." He informed her. "His brain impulses seem to be evening out."

"Wake Gemma and Sam, we need to rest." Dr. K said, wiping her eyes gently. Just as she finishes stitching up his arm, she looked to his right temple, and smiled as she saw that the incisions were already beginning to heal. She had been right; Venjix had given him its regenerative serum. It wasn't often Venjix did something that would help, but it made his chances of recovery a lot better.

In his mind, Dillon remembered that fateful day. He and his fellow prisoners were locked up in their cell, their hands still restrained. They had been given some kind of injection as they arrived, and shortly afterwards, the scars from their earlier treatments had healed, as though they had never even been inflicted. They looked up as a pair of Grinders came into the cell. They grabbed two of the remaining six prisoners and left, locking the door behind them.

"Where are they taking them?" Julie asked him. Fred got up and made his way to the door, looking out the window. Unfortunately they had taken him beyond view. He waited and watched for what felt like a decade before there was a spine-chilling scream. He began searching again frantically, before finally seeing the Grinders coming back. One was guiding the two prisoners, who now had surgical scars across their faces. They were no longer restrained, and seemed to be going of their own volition to wherever it was taking them. Somehow, Venjix had taken their minds. He sat back down as the other came back towards the door. It came in, grabbing the next two and dragging them away. He went to Julie's side, stroking her hair.

"What are they doing to us?" She asked him. "Fred, you're scared, what's happening?"

"Somehow it took their minds, turning them into slaves." He informed her. "Julie, I'm going to get you out of here."

There was another scream, at which Fred knew they only had a short time. The door slid open, at which a Grinder came in for them. Fred launched himself forward in a desperate attack, well aware of the fact that restrained he didn't fare much of a chance. However, to his shock, the Grinder rebounded off the wall, shattering into several pieces. He looked down in shock at his own hands. The Grinder looked like it had been hit by a big rig. He reached into the wreckage, finding a key and made his way over, unlocking Julie's hands, and giving it to her.

"Julie, I need you to get these things off me." He told her. She fumbled around for a second, before unlocking them, freeing his hands. "We're getting out of here, now!"

"I'll just slow you down, please just leave me!" She pleaded with him.

"I'm not leaving you here!" He told her flatly. "We're getting out of here."

He took hold of her gently and started to guide her down the corridor.

"Please, don't let go!" She pleaded with him, knowing that in this unfamiliar environment he was the only way she would have any idea what way to go. Fred realised he had made a wrong turn as soon as he saw a column in the middle of the room, with a single, burning eye. They were quickly surrounded by Grinders. Fred fought as hard as he could, destroying many of them, before being taken down by a blast from behind. He looked up, finding Killobyte standing with the offending weapon. He and Julie were quickly grabbed by the Grinders.

"The girl is the special project I told you about." Killobyte said in an arrogant drawl. "I suppose you want to save her for last."

"No, D44 wishes to oppose me. I suppose we should allow him to see what awaits him while he remembers." Venjix stated. Fred called out as he fought to free himself. He could only watch as they shoved her into the generation chamber. Finally breaking free, he leapt forward, grabbing her hand.

"Just hold on!" He begged her, ignoring all the Grinders grabbing and pulling at him to make him let go. He felt her hand slipping and tried to reach down with his other hand, but he was being pulled away from her. He watched in horror as his sister slipped away from him, falling into the pit. He was held fast, awaiting whatever fate they had in store for him.

"Master, shall I perform the download on subject D44?" The sat bot asked, stepping into view.

"Yes, take his memories." Venjix replied. Fred screamed in anguish as he was hit by a massive power surge. He managed to break free, but couldn't remember anything. All he knew was that he was in danger. Operating on pure survival instinct, he smashed his way through the Grinders blocking his path running down a corridor. He finally found himself out in the desert, running for all he was worth. He finally came to a clearing where he found a few deserted vehicles.

Coming over to a large, powerful black car, he looked inside, finding a corpse, dressed in black clothing. He realised his surgical robe offered little protection against the elements, and it didn't look like the clothes would help the man in the car any. He pulled him out, and began stripping him. Searching his pockets, he found the keys to the car. After getting dressed, he checked to see that the car still worked, before opening the trunk to see what he could salvage. There were some bottles of water, a little gasoline, and some power tools. Something caught his eye about one of the tools, the name stamped on the side. Dillon.

Back in the lab, Sam had finished with his chest and his left arm, Gemma threw the last of those implants from this section into a tray. Sam stitched up the incisions, finding herself gagging a little as she did so.

"I thought you did stuff like this all the time." Gemma commented.

"Morning sickness is a little poorly named." She replied, taking a second to get her composure back. "This really isn't helping."

"Well we don't have much more to go." Gemma assured her, taking the needle from her. "I might not be able to perform surgery, but I think stitching shouldn't be too much for me."

"Thanks Gemma, I appreciate it." She replied gratefully, backing away from him. She looked to the clock, realising that the surgery had now been going for almost nine hours total. She knew Dillon was resilient, but it impressed her that his body would be able to undertake that kind of trauma. "I guess its Dr. K's turn again."

"I'll wake them up." Gemma told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You did really well. You should rest."

In his mind, Dillon was standing in a completely black space. He looked around, puzzled by this development. It wasn't as though it was a room he was in, in truth there was just...nothing. No walls, no ground, no features of any kind. It was just blackness as far as the eye could see.

"I never pictured you as the kind to give up Freddy." He heard a voice. "That wasn't the way I raised you."

He saw a woman appear before him, and recognised her immediately.

"Mom?" He asked her.

"You need to go back." Mrs. Kitchner told him. "There are a lot of people who need you."

"I've done so much to them; I've failed them all so much." He told her apologetically. "I let them all down."

"I know I put a heavy burden on you from a young age Freddy, it wasn't fair that you had to take such responsibility for your sister's wellbeing." She told him. "You were made to grow up too fast because your father left. I'm sorry for that. It wasn't fair that you paid for my mistake."

"I let Julie down; she got made into that...thing because of me!" He reminded her.

"Your sister is stronger, healthier and happier than she's ever been." Mrs. Kitchner told him. "She's a strong, confident young woman, with a man by her side that loves her very much."

"I hurt Summer so much." He continued.

"Yet, she never once gave up on getting you back." She answered. "You've been in surgery now for almost the entire night. Do you know where she's been? She's been lying on the couch, facing the door, desperate to be the first one at your side when you wake up."

"She's waiting for me?" He asked. Mrs. Kitchner smiled.

"I saw it in you when you were children." She replied. "Don't you realise that in your entire life, since the day you kissed her, you've never even gone on so much as one date?"

He thought about it, concentrating on all his new memories and realised she was right.

"I was too busy..."

"There was only ever one girl in your heart." Mrs. Kitchner interrupted him. "Even when you couldn't remember anything else, she was always the one that was in your heart."

She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

"I'm so proud of the man you've become. You're so much more of a man than your father ever was." She told him. "Your friend Ziggy needs all the friends he can get right now. Summer needs to get you back, and pretty soon your sister's going to need you."

"Tenaya?" He asked her. "Why?"

"There is more than one reason she was so desperate to get you back and give back the responsibility she took in your absence." Mrs. Kitchner told him.

"You mean...I'm so going to kill Ziggy!" He commented. Mrs. Kitchner just laughed.

"He doesn't know yet, none of them do." She informed him. "Besides, you wouldn't want the latest member of the family to grow up without a father now would you?"

"I guess not." He answered. "It's just...something I'm going to have to get used to."

"He's a good man and you know it." She reminded him. "You know he'll be a great addition to the family."

"Being related to Ziggy, now there's a scary thought." He replied. "It was great to see you again mom. I just..."

"What is it Freddy?" She asked him. He smiled.

"I'm Dillon now." He replied. "I just wondered how much of this I'm going to remember when I wake up."

"When your systems were shut down by that key, the implants in your brain were completely fried." She assured him. "You'll remember everything."

"Are you sure you couldn't just make me forget...you know...the last part?"

She just smiled as the room filled with light. His eyelids fluttered open and he found himself lying on the bench in Dr. K's lab just as she was finishing stitching up his legs. His vision was a little blurry, and his head was still spacey. Dr. K rushed over to his side, shining a torch in his eyes.

"Dillon?" She asked him. "Dillon, are you alright?"

He mumbled something that was incomprehensible to them under his mask. She pulled it off, continuing to check his pupils. "Dillon, speak to me, are you alright?"

"I will be when you stop blinding me." He muttered. Dr. K just smirked as she put away the torch. "Can I see Summer and Tenaya?"

"He's back to normal I'd say." Dr. K commented as Gem, Gemma and Sam all crowded around her. "Great work everyone; I think we all deserve a rest. Gem, could you sent in Summer and Tenaya?"

The other three left, leaving Dr. K alone with Dillon. She looked down on him.

"You really scared us." She told him. "That was easily the most nerve wracking experience of my life."

"Dr. K are you going soft on me?" Dillon teased her. "Don't tell me you were actually worried about me. I thought I was 'just another piece of equipment' to you."

"I think we both know that all of our relationships have evolved beyond that." Dr. K replied with a smile. Summer and Tenaya came into the room, approaching him.

"His system has received a significant shock, and he's on a lot of medication." She reminded them. "The serum is helping the healing process, but given how extensive the procedure was, I don't want to risk anything. He's to stay restrained and sedated for the time being, and he needs his rest, so don't take too long."

"We won't." Summer assured her. "I promise."

Dr. K left, yawning loudly following the mammoth procedure, leaving the somewhat unusual family together. Summer looked down on him, wiping away a tear.

"I'm sorry I shot you." She told him. "I should have known there was a reason Dr. K didn't want to use that weapon."

"I could have done without the full-body makeover, but I feel a lot better having my body back." He told her. "You actually did me a favour."

"I did?" Summer asked him. Tenaya also looked at him a little curiously.

"When that thing fried my system, it jarred a lot of systems, kind of like kicking a vending machine. It shook a lot loose." He told them. "I remember."

"You remember what?" Tenaya asked him. He looked to her seriously.

"I remember everything." He told them. "Mom, our lives, what happened to us...I remember everything."

Summer leant down, kissing him excitedly as she heard this. She was overjoyed that he was alright, but hearing that he had not only been returned to her, but had his own life returned to him was more than she could ever have dreamed.

"You should probably get going; I need to rest up if I'm going to take my morpher back." He told them. "Thanks for taking the strain while I was out Ten, but it's time you took care of your own responsibilities."

Tenaya's eyes opened wide as he said this, and her mouth hung open in shock. Summer just looked at him in confusion.

"What responsibilities?" Summer asked him.

"You know?" Tenaya asked him. "How could you possibly...?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He replied with a smile.

"Would one of you please tell me what's going on?" Summer asked them. Tenaya just shifted a little uneasily, still uncertain how Dillon knew the secret she had been keeping from everyone, even from Ziggy.


	36. Tenaya's Secret

Tenaya and Summer left Dillon to rest after his trying night, coming into the room as Scott, Flynn and Ziggy were coming down the stairs, heading to the kitchenette. They all paused for a second, seeing them in their slightly sleep-deprived state.

"The procedure was a success." Tenaya informed them, causing a collective sigh of relief from the others. "He's resting now, but Dr. K's pretty confident."

"Where are they?" Scott asked her.

"Dr. K, Sam and the twins all went to rest." Summer replied. Scott looked to be a little disappointed at having been asleep when she had finished, and so hadn't been there to congratulate her.

"How was Sam?" Flynn asked her. Summer turned to him, seeing the concern on his face. She knew that Flynn was only concerned for her welfare because of the baby. He just wanted to know that she hadn't exhausted herself or put any undue strain on herself.

"She was fine; she's just a little tired." Summer assured him. "Dr. K's let her have a bed here. She should be fine in a few hours." Hearing this, Flynn smiled, happy to know that everyone had gotten through the procedure without ill effect.

"Well I can see you two didn't get much sleep, so I'll just put on some coffee." Ziggy called over as he went to the counter.

"Well I for one am pretty hungry, so I'm just heading to the kitchen." Flynn added, making his way over. Scott looked at Summer and Tenaya a small smile playing on his lips.

"So how are the two of you holding up?" He asked them.

"I haven't really slept well, but other than that I'm pretty good." Summer told him. "I'll feel a lot better once Dillon's up and around."

"I'm alright." Tenaya added as he looked at her.

"Well I'm just happy this all worked out for all of you." He told them, leaving it at that. He didn't really think that it would help any to reprimand them over their rash decision to rush out into the wastes to confront him. Although it had ended well, it could easily have led to disaster, and they both knew it. Seeing the way they maintained the vigil though, he knew that making them feel worse about their decision wouldn't accomplish anything. "I'll help Dillon with the breakfast."

Summer took Tenaya by the hand and jerked her head in the direction of the sofa, leading her there and sitting down with her. Tenaya already knew what she wanted to talk about, and she wasn't looking forward to the conversation. Naturally, she had always wanted Ziggy to be the first to know.

"How long have you known?" Summer asked her as they sat down.

"I've known about a week." She replied in a small sigh. "As you know Ziggy and I spent the night together after Chas' wedding. I noticed I was late, and I remembered you telling me about that whole process, so I took a test."

"Did you...?"

"It wasn't planned." Tenaya interrupted her. "We were caught up in everything and we kind of...got caught up in everything."

"So you didn't take any precautions?" Summer asked her. Tenaya just shook her head.

"I never thought we'd take that step, not yet anyway." She said quietly. "Once we had...you know..., it never occurred to me that this might have happened."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Summer asked her.

"I wanted to tell Ziggy, but I knew he'd only worry." She explained as she thought back. "With the gang war and what happened with Dillon, a lot was going on, and I knew you'd need me in case Venjix attacked again, but I knew none of you would let me take the risk, so I just kept quiet and continued trying to help you get Dillon back. I planned to tell Ziggy then. I really wanted him to be the first to know, I don't know how Dillon could have known."

"I have to admit that kind of freaked me out a little too." Summer conceded. "I would really like to know more about what happened to him while he was out."

"I really hope he gets better soon." Tenaya replied. "Not just because he's my brother, but because I don't want to keep doing this. I really don't want to risk harming the baby any longer than I have to."

"Well Dillon already said he's going to take back the morpher as soon as he's back on his feet." Summer assured her, pulling her into a tight hug. "So have you thought about how you're going to tell Ziggy yet?"

"I really don't know how to, he's going through a rough time with this whole Fresno Bob thing." She continued. "It's really knocked him for a loop. Between that and dragging him into the whole Dillon thing, he's been through a lot. I really don't know how he's going to react."

"Tenaya, he needs to know." She replied. "One of the things that's hurt him so much about this business with his dad is the fact he's been lied to."

"I know, I guess you're right." Tenaya sighed. "I'll have to find some time to talk to him later."

"Talk to who?" Ziggy asked as he arrived with two cups of coffee. Summer accepted hers, before getting off the couch.

"You know, I think I could probably do with a lie down." Summer told him, before walking away. Tenaya noticed her going to the kitchenette first, likely to find a way to get the others out the way. She had been in the Garage with them a lot longer than Tenaya, and so knew exactly how hard it was to get any measure of privacy. Tenaya was thankful for this, putting her cup aside and took his hand gently, guiding him down onto the sofa and clearing her thoughts, trying to find how to begin.

Over in another area of town, Chas was sitting alone in his office, when Brie came in, making her way to a chair instinctively. She was now three months pregnant, and was noticeably beginning to show. She sat by his desk as Chas switched off the screens showing the maps of the activity in the city concerning the territories held in the gang war. He hadn't let anyone know of his involvement in the machinations of Fresno Bob and D46's activities, not even Brie. He had figured it was probably safest for her and their child if no one knew of his involvement, not to mention he was certain that the people of Corinth would be unlikely to be understanding of him trusting his city to a crime boss and a Venjix infiltrator.

"Chas, you're spending all your time in this office." She complained as she poured herself a glass of water from the jug on his table. "I've hardly seen you in the last couple of weeks."

"I'm sorry Brie, but I'm getting pressured from all sides on this." He told her. "I have refugees coming in from the contested zones every hour of the day, people have been picketing my office wondering what I plan to do about the last gangs, and the press are having a field day saying I'm just hiding here and pretending the problem doesn't exist."

"Chas, you knew that's what things would be like when you took this job." Brie reminded him. "Look at what has happened since this started. The Yo-Yo brothers are behind bars, Newmark is dead and two of the Cartels have been completely disbanded. Most of the city is back under control."

"That's not what the tabloids are saying." He sighed. "I really wish we were making more progress with the last of the territories. I just want all of this to be over. I know we're a long way from the border, but I know how I'd feel if you were at risk. That's why I'm so frustrated with how this is all going."

"I know you are, but you can't spend every hour of the day here." She told him. "Did you even remember that I had a scan today?"

"Was that today?" He asked her. "Brie, I'm so sorry, I was waiting on a report..."

"You're always waiting on a report." She muttered quietly. "I really wanted you to be there."

"I'm sorry I forgot, I'll make it up to you I promise." He said apologetically, making his way over to her and holding her. He placed his hand on her belly, stroking it softly. "You know the two of you are the most important thing in the world to me. I want to make the city safe so that our baby can grow up in a world that isn't so messed up."

"I understand that Chas, I just wish you didn't have to be away so much." She moaned as she held him. "I'm really proud of you."

"That means a lot Brie." He told her. "I'll have a guard detail take you home. Just rest up and take care of the little guy. I'll be home as soon as I can, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that." She replied, kissing him softly. A couple of guards came into the room to escort her home. "Try not to stay too late."

"I'll try." He stated as she went with them. "I love you."

As she left, he sat on his desk, feeling a little regret as he did so. He had missed a lot more of her pregnancy than he would have liked, but he was desperate to secure the city. He didn't want to bring his child into the city when it was threatening to tear itself apart.

"Your wife seems like a good woman." D46 announced as he arrived behind him. Chas just sighed.

"Sometimes I wonder if I deserve her." He commented. "What's going on?"

"Spike Mike's continuing to fortify his position." Marcus replied, moving round where Chas could see him. "He's reluctant to attribute any significant manpower to an assault. The truck's still there, they haven't made a move."

Chas pulled out a cell phone and dialled Hicks, getting an answer quickly.

"Hicks, what's going on with Ronan?" He asked him.

"They're building up to something, but the way Newmark went down, everyone's pretty nervous about making a committed move." He told him. Chas cursed under his breath as he heard this.

"Thanks Hicks, I'll get someone to take the truck out." He informed him. "If no one's going to check it out, there's no point in leaving it out there."

Back in the Garage, Tenaya was still just sitting, staring at Ziggy, unsure as to how to break the news to him. She fidgeted a little as she stared at him.

"Tenaya, you can tell me anything, you know that." He assured her, stroking some hair back behind her ear. "Did Dillon say anything?"

"He kind of did, but not the way you think." She told him. "Ziggy, you know I love you, I feel like we have something special, something that I've never felt before."

"Tenaya, if there's something wrong..."

"No, it's nothing like that!" She rushed out, seeing that he was becoming a little worried. "You remember what happened at the wedding?"

"How could I forget?" He asked her. "It was the most amazing..."

"Ziggy, I'm pregnant." She interrupted him. Ziggy paused for a second, staring at her for a moment. She looked at him, hoping to hear him say something, anything to indicate how he felt about the news. "Ziggy, please say something."

As he raised a hand, preparing to start, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell off the sofa, slumping to the floor. Tenaya knelt beside him, trying to revive him.

"Ziggy, wake up!" She yelled, trying to bring him around. "Ziggy!"

He started to stir a little at her touch as she shook him, beginning to rub his head a little before looking up at her.

"Ziggy are you alright?" She asked him. Ziggy looked at her, completely aghast as he remembered what she had told him.

"Did you just say...?" Tenaya just nodded to confirm what he was trying to ask. Ziggy pulled in towards the couch, resting his back against it to prop himself up as he felt himself getting a little weak again. "You're pregnant?"

"Yes, I'm pregnant." She reiterated.

"The wedding?" Ziggy asked her. Again, she nodded as she struggled to keep it together. Ziggy pulled her into him and held her gently as thoughts raced through his mind. He couldn't form any coherent thoughts. All he could do was hold the woman he loved as he stared into space, trying to imagine what the future would hold.

Fresno Bob came into Chas' office, finding him sitting there, pondering the way things were going. Their latest idea for ending the gang war had failed so far. They had thought that the truck would succeed in luring the remaining gangs out of hiding, but so far they hadn't taken the bait, forcing them to abandon the plan.

"It's alright, we'll think of something." Bob said warmly. "I didn't get to where I am by giving up when my first idea failed."

"We can't just throw the military into the contested zones; people are going to get killed." Chas replied regretfully. "If I just get Colonel Truman to launch an all out offensive, it'll tear what's left of that area apart."

"I'm not sure this idea's a complete failure yet." D46 told them, leaning against a wall, thinking about their options. "I just wonder if we're using the right bait."

Back at the Garage, Summer returned to the main room after having a lie down, finding Tenaya sitting alone on the couch. She approached her, noticing red streaks running down her face as she got closer and sat down next to her, tapping her on the shoulder.

"I guess you talked to Ziggy." She said as Tenaya looked at her. She just nodded. "I guess it didn't go that well."

"He never said anything." She muttered sadly. "He held me, and he kissed me, but he didn't say anything about how he felt or what he was thinking."

"Where is he?" Summer asked her. Tenaya just sniffed and shook her head.

"He left a little while ago." She informed her. "He didn't say where he was going. He just left without saying a word. It looked like he was freaking out."

"I guess it is pretty big news." Summer said with a shrug. "How are you coping?"

Tenaya didn't say anything; she just broke down in tears, at which Summer just held her, allowing her to cry on her shoulder.

At the orphanage, Ms. Foster was preparing lunch for the kids when she heard a gentle knock on the door. She looked up, finding Ziggy standing there. She just stared at him for a second. She hadn't seen him in several days. Looking at him, she couldn't help remembering the last time Benny had visited, begging her to tell him the truth about who she really was.

"Ziggy, come in." She welcomed him nervously. "This is a nice surprise, are you here to see the kids?"

"Not quite, I just needed to see you." He began, giving her a slight nervous feeling. Had Benny told him? Did he know she had lied to him? "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course, you know you don't have to ask that." She replied, showing him in and offering him a chair by the kitchen table. He sat down with her, breathing a heavy sigh as he did so.

"What's wrong?" She asked him, a little afraid about what he would say. He was clearly upset about something. She knew that he had found out about Fresno Bob, and she was a little worried he had found out about her too.

"Tenaya's pregnant." He told her. She felt a little relieved to hear this, but was no less concerned about him. "I found out a couple of hours ago."

"I take it this wasn't planned." She asked him. Ziggy shook his head as she held his hand in a comforting gesture.

"We got involved in a moment at Chas' wedding." He told her. "We got caught up in the moment."

"Well it's not ideal." She said quietly. "How's Tenaya?"

"She seems to be coping." He said with a shrug. "I wish I could say the same about myself."

"It's natural to be nervous." She said reassuringly. "Everyone gets scared when they find out they're having kids."

"It's not just that." He continued. "I'm not sure I'll be a good dad."

"What you talking about?" She asked him in a small laugh. "You are the most caring, wonderful person I've ever met. The way you take care of those kids when you come around is amazing!"

"I've only ever watched them for a couple of hours." He reminded her. "Taking care of a kid full time is a totally different story. What do I know about taking care of kids?"

"Nobody ever really knows what to do with kids." She replied. "It's just one of those things you learn through experience."

"It's not even like I have anything to go on, my own parents ditched me." He muttered. "I'm confident I'll be a horrible father, just like my own dad."

She felt a little hurt by what he had said, but she understood. She put her hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"I have every faith in you." She assured him. "Any kid would be lucky to have you as a father. Just because Bob left you..."

Ziggy held up a hand, cutting her off as she said this. She realised her mistake as he turned to face her, looking at her confused.

"I never told you about my father." He whispered. "How could you know that?"

Ms. Foster just sat, fidgeting uncomfortably as she stared at him, uncertain as to how she could answer him.


	37. The Grover Family

Ms. Foster paced the room as Ziggy stared at her, trying to find a way to begin. Her earlier slip had put her in a position she didn't want to be in. She knew that if she tried to lie to him, to simply skim over the fact she knew about Bob and his connection to him, then he would see right through him. The day she dreaded had come, the day she had to tell him the truth.

"Ziggy, you know I love you..."

"Why do I get a bad feeling whenever someone says that to me?" He interrupted her. Ms. Foster looked at him a little regretfully.

"I'm going to explain everything. It isn't going to be easy to hear, I just beg you to let me finish." She said in a whisper. Ziggy nodded, looking both confused and nervous about what she had to say. "Benny came to visit me a few days ago, he told me you found out about Bob."

She paused for a second, taking a deep breath.

"Benny and I have known each other for a lot longer than you think." She stated, making him no less confused. "He knew me before I had to give you up for adoption. Ziggy, you're my son."

"I'm your son?" Ziggy asked her, his mouth hanging open in shock. She nodded to confirm what he had asked.

"I had to give you up for your own safety after the hit." She explained as she continued. "It was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever had to do."

She made her way to the counter, opening a drawer and pulling out an old, slightly tattered picture, staring at it sadly.

"Shortly after I gave you up, I was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors managed to save me, but only by giving me a full hysterectomy." She informed him. "After that, I just had to be near you, to look after you, but I knew I couldn't take you back without putting you in danger, so I called Benny."

"Benny?" Ziggy asked her.

"He had a false identity set up, and helped me get facial reconstructive surgery." She said as she remembered. "Kerry Grover died, and Helen Foster was born. I applied for a job at your orphanage so I could be close to you. In time, I became the Matron."

"You've been with me for my entire life." He said a little angrily. "Why didn't you tell me? You know how much it would have meant to me."

"It hurt me too, I wanted to tell you every day, but I knew that it would put you in danger." She explained as she took his hand.

"But I was desperate for a family, you know I was!" He snapped, pulling his hand away from her.

"How do you think I felt any time you said that?" She asked him. "I cared for you all your life, and I was never able to tell you the truth. You always thought that I only did it because of my job, you said it so many times, even in front of me."

Ziggy realised she was right. Any time he talked about his time with the Scorpion Cartel, he always said that he was looking for acceptance, a place where people just accepted him without needing to. He always said that although he was grateful to Ms. Foster for looking after him, he knew she only did it because it was her job. Despite his anger, he felt a little bad as he realised how much it had to hurt her to hear him say that.

"Your father doesn't know. Benny and I both thought it would be safer that way." She informed him. "I'm sorry Ziggy. We only did it because we couldn't bear it if anything happened to you."

"I understand, but it hurts." He told her. "I can't believe you went through so much to look after me."

"I gave up everything to be able to keep you safe." She said, taking his hand again. "I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. You're the only thing in the world that I couldn't lose."

She pulled him in, hugging him tightly. Ziggy was a little reluctant at first, but eventually returned the gesture. He had always loved Ms. Foster, and had always thought of her like a mother, even when he believed she only took care of him because it was her job. He still hated the fact she had kept the truth from him, but now that he thought about how much she had done for him; he knew that in time he would be able to forgive her. He had always loved her like a mother, and now he knew that was true.

"I know this is a lot to take in Ziggy, but I want you to do something." She said to him as they parted. "I want you to forgive your father."

"But he..."

"He gave up everything, just like I did for you." She interrupted him. "He's a good man, and he loves you very much. Please don't hate him."

"It's because of him we were in danger in the first place!" Ziggy stated bluntly. "If he hadn't been out there chasing the easy money..."

"It was never about the money Ziggy." She told him. "Where we grew up, gangs ran the streets. The cops that weren't paid off were too scared to do anything about it. People died every other day. Bob formed the Scorpion Cartel to force the bad element out."

"Fighting fire with fire?" Ziggy asked her. She nodded.

"His dream was always to work towards the day that the streets would be safe." She told him. "What's going on, this gang war, it's exactly like it was back home. I'm sure your dad's the one that's been taking down the other Cartels."

"D46..."

"I watch the news Ziggy, the Scorpion Cartel moved in minutes after D46 took down the cartel both times." She informed him. "It's a hell of a coincidence don't you think?"

"You think da...you think Fresno Bob's working with D46?" He asked her. Helen nodded.

"He's still got Spike Mike and the Blue Crew to get rid of." She told him. "After that, he'll have to try and destroy his own cartel."

"But they obey him." Ziggy stated. She just gave him an unconvinced look.

"Do you really think the guys that earn the big money in his organisation are just going to pack up and go home because he says so?" She asked him. "Your dad's working towards a good goal, but he always knew that he'd need to use rather less noble people to achieve that. His life is in danger."

"You want me to help him." Ziggy concluded.

"If you can't do it for yourself, then think about Tenaya and your baby." She said softly. "We needed to give you up because the world we lived in was messed up. You have a chance to make sure your child doesn't have to live in a world like that."

Ziggy got up and headed towards the door.

"I'm going to help him, but I need to talk to Tenaya first." He told her as he turned back one last time. "Thanks for everything mom."

"You always did make me proud Ziggy." She replied as he left. "I love you too."

Back at the Garage, Summer was still comforting Tenaya when Ziggy returned. Summer got up, making her way over towards Ziggy, her expression one of rage.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Summer asked him angrily. "Tenaya's in bits! You..."

"Summer, I'm here to talk to her." He rushed out, interrupting her tirade. "Please, could you just give us a minute?"

Summer looked over to Tenaya, who just nodded to signal it was alright. Summer gave Ziggy another hard glare, before storming out of the room. He knew she and Tenaya were becoming close. Obviously she was angry about the fact he had left Tenaya. He could see from here that she was upset. Knowing that he would have a lot to answer for to the Yellow Ranger if he didn't make amends, he went over to Tenaya and knelt down before her.

"I'm sorry about running out before." He began sadly. "I know you're going through a lot, I shouldn't have done that."

"It's alright; I know it's a shock." She replied. Ziggy just shook his head.

"It isn't alright Tenaya, you needed me and I let you down." He told her. "I freaked out when you told me. I didn't know if I could cope. I was worried about what kind of future I could make for our child."

"I understand Ziggy, I'm scared too." She conceded. "I don't know anything about what's happening to me. I remember so little about my life, the only things I know about what's going on is what I've been told by Dr. K and Summer."

"You don't have to worry; you aren't going to go through this alone." He assured her. "I love you."

"The thing is, I do worry Ziggy, I worry all the time." She sniffed, wiping her nose with her wrist. "I don't know what to do with a baby. I love visiting the kids at the orphanage, but I don't have the first idea how to raise a child. What if I can't cope? What if the kid hates me? What if...?"

Her words tailed off a little as she started to play with the key around her neck nervously.

"What if the baby's like me?"

"You're worried the baby will be a hybrid?" Ziggy asked her. "I don't know much about Venjix tech, but..."

"No, it's not that." She interrupted him. "My bionics aren't a part of my genetic code, and they don't grow like Dillon's used to, so there's no way they could be passed onto the baby. I'm worried that it might be...you know...like I used to be."

"You're worried the baby could be blind." He surmised. Tenaya just nodded.

"I was born without retinas. That's in my genetics; I could pass it on to the baby." She sobbed. "All the memories I have from back then were of me being cared for and looked after by others. I must have been helpless, utterly dependent on everyone else. How are we going to cope if that happens to our baby?"

"We'll cope." He assured her, pulling her into him, cradling her gently. "I will do everything I can to make the world safe for you and the baby, I promise."

He parted from her a little way, before placing a hand on her stomach, holding it gently.

"I'm going to be a dad." He said happily. "And I promise I'll do everything I can to be the best dad this kid could have, regardless of what challenges are thrown our way."

He pulled her into himself, holding her in his arms as he thought about the future. Despite all the recent revelations of his past, she represented his future. He was having a baby with the woman he loved, and as scary as that was, he was happy. He was determined to do everything he could to make the world into the kind of place he wanted to raise a child.

Later that night, Chas assembled the others in his office for a briefing. So far they had reached an impasse with the Blue Crew and Spike Mike's mob. While their territory was now small, and they had both lost a lot of ground, they had been using that time to fortify their borders, leaving them in the situation of siege warfare.

"So what's happening?" Chas asked them as he poured himself another coffee. As much as he wanted to be at home with his wife, he knew that the conspiracy was the best chance of ending the gang wars for good. He didn't want to simply ask Colonel Truman to throw his men into an all-out assault against the mobs because of the potential for casualties.

"Spike Mike's holed up for a long campaign." D46 informed him, pulling up some surveillance images on the screen. "He has provisions, ammunition, power all sealed up behind his walls. He's using the old foundry as his base of operations, but the way it's been modified, it's practically a fortress. It'd take some serious artillery to pound through the border and into the foundry."

"Ronan's holed up in the power plant in the north-eastern quadrant." Hicks stated, also pulling up the surveillance he had gathered. "They could hold out an army for months in there."

"What's the situation with the Scorpions?" Chas asked Fresno Bob.

"I've given most of the functional control to Harris." He informed them. "He's leading all the raids I order, but I've been hearing a lot of rumblings that the guys are starting to doubt my leadership. They're questioning the fact we never hold onto territory."

"What's Harris like?" Chas asked him. Bob just snorted.

"He's a ruthless bastard. He scares the shit out of even me." He replied honestly. "He's starting to get edgy. I doubt it'll be long before he stops listening to me."

"He only listened this long because he was making money out of you." Ziggy stated as he arrived. Everyone in the room looked at him, a little confused. D46 reached inside his jacket for a weapon, but Ziggy held his hands up defensively.

"I'm not here to fight, I figured everything out." He told them. "I want to help."

"Ziggy?" Fresno Bob asked him. "Why...?"

"I have my reasons. All you need to know is I want this to end." He told them. "I heard about the truck. It was a solid plan."

"It failed miserably." D46 reminded him. "I watched it all night and no one came anywhere near it."

"Of course they didn't!" Ziggy replied. "You parked a truck full of weapons and ammo just sitting on a street in the contested zone? It was too good to be true, it was an obvious trap!"

"But you said..."

"Your plan was good, but the bait was all wrong." Ziggy told them. "They need to believe in the bait if they're going to fall for it."

"So what are you suggesting?" Chas asked him. Ziggy looked to him and smiled.

"Me." He replied. "I still owe the Cartels five mil. The only reason they haven't ghosted me before now is because I'm a Ranger and it would attract too much heat. Now though they're desperate. They need money and they need it fast."

"Do you have that money?" Bob asked him. Ziggy just laughed and shook his head.

"Of course not, that shipment's long-since gone." He told them. "Of course Spike Mike and Ronan don't know that. We just have to convince them I still have it."

"How do we do that?" D46 asked him. Ziggy turned to him and stood before him, looking up into his mask.

"If we do this, there's one condition." He stated bluntly. "Tenaya and Dillon are off-limits."

"They are filthy hybrid..."

"They're victims just like you!" He interrupted him. "They both got their lives back, and they both work for us now. If you go anywhere near them, you're no better than Venjix."

"I'll stay away until this war is over." D46 answered.

"I guess that'll have to do for now." Ziggy replied. "Bob, contact Harris. Tell him you have intelligence that I still have some of that shipment. Tell him that you need funds for the next offensive and lift the no-touch policy on me. Tell him I'm fair game."

"Ziggy..."

"Hicks, make sure Ronan hears about it once Harris makes his move on me. D46, you do the same with Spike Mike."

"Ziggy, that's insane; you'll have every gangster in Corinth after you!" Chas yelled, moving over to him. He grabbed his half-brother by the shoulders. "It's suicide!"

"I have a plan. If this comes off, we'll end the war inside a week." He told them. "Just trust me, and listen carefully. We all have a part to play. If this is going to work, you all need to listen to me very carefully and do exactly what I say."

"Ziggy, why are you doing this?" Fresno Bob asked him.

"I'm doing this for the same reason I grew up in an orphanage," he replied, before turning to Chas, "and the same reason you're doing this. I don't want my child to grow up in a world that's this messed up."

Fresno Bob and Chas smiled as they heard this. Although they had yet to have an opportunity to sit down and discuss everything and sort out where they stood with each other, neither of them could feel anything but happy to know that Ziggy was starting a family.

"I never said this enough back in the day Ziggy, but I'm proud of you." Fresno Bob told him. He phrased it that way to ensure neither Hicks nor D46 figured out what he really meant. They both knew Ziggy had worked for Fresno Bob in the past.

"Thanks." He replied, before gesturing them all into a huddle. "Now, here's what I need you all to do."


	38. Plan Ziggy Pt 1

Fresno Bob made his way back to the race track with Benny, making his way into the private lounge, where his highest ranking lieutenants were all assembled. The call had gone around that Fresno Bob wanted his men ready for a major operation.

As he entered, finding the room filled with cigar smoke, and his men playing cards. They all turned to look at him, awaiting his orders. All except for one, who just sat in the corner, observing the events unfolding.

Harris was a monster of a man. He towered over even Benny, and had to have his suits specially made to cover his massive frame. His hands were almost as large as a man's head, and looked like they were capable of crushing a skull with ease. He had soft, brown hair that was always styled short and neat. His strong, handsome features were broken up by a massive, branching scar extending from a little below his scalp to his chin, narrowly missing his right eye, the result of an attack with a glass bottle early in his career. He was an utterly pitiless and ruthless man, making him ideal for some of the messier parts of the business. Everyone was scared of him, even Bob. His reputation for brutality was known throughout the city. Very few had the honour of crossing paths with him on the opposite side and walking away.

"As you all know we're still having difficulty progressing through the contested zones. Since Newmark went down, Spike Mike and Ronan have been incredibly cautious." He began. "We think it's time to initiate a plan that will get us the funds we need to destroy the others for good."

He noticed Harris whispering something to one of the others, eliciting a small laugh. Bob just ignored this sign of disrespect. He knew that Harris had been growing more and more impatient with his 'incompetence' and the Cartel's lack of significant progress. He knew it was likely to only be a matter of time before he made a move to seize control for himself. He was already starting to get into a few select ears and gather some support.

"We got some very interesting information from one of our moles downtown." He continued, handing around some photographs.

"This is the Green Ranger." Harris commented.

"As you know Grover stole a significant amount of money from us." Fresno Bob reminded them as he handed around a few more photos. "As you know, I've maintained a no-touch policy on Ziggy and the other Rangers because of the heat it would attract. However, we now have reason to think it might be worth the heat."

"Why are we wasting time with him?" Harris asked aloud. "Shouldn't we..."

"He's been seen visiting a storage unit. It's paid cash, no paper trail." Fresno Bob continued, ignoring the interruption. He handed around the last photograph, showing Ziggy opening the unit. They all stared at the picture in disbelief.

"The truck?" One of the gangsters asked him. "I thought he'd have hocked all the goods by now."

"Well it looks like he might have been holding something back for a rainy day." Bob responded. He paused for a while, a little hesitant about the next part of the plan. He didn't like it at all, it was risky. If Ziggy misjudged any part of the plan, he would effectively be throwing his son, the man he had given up everything for to the wolves. "I'm lifting the no-touch policy on Ziggy. I want you to grab him, and bring him here."

"We should just ghost him." Harris sneered in response. "If we know where the truck is..."

"Ziggy might have been a lot of things, but an idiot isn't one of them." Fresno Bob reprimanded him. "We can't take the risk he's got the truck or the unit booby-trapped. Find him, and bring him here, alive!"

Just as they were about to leave, Bob whistled, bringing their attention back to him. He looked at Harris with a little smirk on his face.

"Remember, I want him alive." Fresno Bob told him. "I never said he had to be healthy."

With that, they all rushed out of the private lounge, in search of the Green Ranger. Benny poured them both a drink, handing one to Bob. He knew how much he hated this part of the plan.

"Ziggy's smart, he knows what he's doing." Benny assured him. "You know how slippery he can be when he wants to. He'll be fine."

"What if something goes wrong?" Bob asked him. "What if...?"

"You have to trust Ziggy." Benny reminded him. He then gestured for Bob to sit down. "Ziggy talked to me before he left. There's something you should know, just in case something happens."

"What is it Benny?" He asked him. "You can tell me anything, you know that."

"You remember Kerry sent you that letter, telling you where Ziggy was?" He asked him. "Well about a fortnight before that, she contacted me."

"You never said that?" Bob stated. "What did she ask for?"

"She wanted a new identity, one that would stand up." He informed him.

"But she could easily have gotten that from me." He replied. Benny shook his head.

"It wasn't just an ID; it had to be bullet-proof. She needed it to be so airtight no one would ever figure out that it was a fake." He informed him. "She's been around the whole time. She never left town when she recovered from surgery."

"Why are you telling me this?" Bob asked him.

"She's in Corinth." Benny told him. "Kerry made it into the city. She's been alive this whole time; I've always known where she is. The only reason I never told you is because it would have put her and Ziggy at risk."

"Kerry's alive?" Bob inquired in a weak voice as a tear began to roll down his face. Kerry had been the love of his life. Benny knew how much it hurt when they agreed to separate for the safety of their son. "Where is she?"

"She's been close by." Benny told him. "Helen Foster, the matron of the orphanage is Kerry."

Ziggy made his way through the streets of Corinth late at night, talking on his cell phone with Tenaya. He was smiling as he chatted with her happily.

"I promise you I'll be home soon; I'm just on my way back. I told you I had to talk to Bob." He told her as he turned a corner. "Yes, I'll stop off and get you some Mexican food. I love you..."

His words tailed off as he looked up, finding Harris and a couple of other mobsters standing before him, wielding baseball bats. Ziggy lifted the phone to his ear as he saw the sick smile on Harris' face. "You know what? I'll have to call you back."

With that, he shoved his phone away in his pocket and turned tail, running as fast as his legs would carry him. Harris and the other two gangsters took off in hot pursuit, as Harris held a radio to his mouth.

"We've found Grover, we're chasing him south down 7th avenue." He called through the radio. "Everyone get down here now!"

Ziggy leapt onto a car, before throwing himself onto the top of a parked truck, and launching himself from that onto a nearby rooftop. He turned back to see one of the gangsters landing right behind him, and kicked him backwards, causing him to fall from the rooftop.

He pulled out his cell phone and speed-dialled Chas as he made his way across the rooftop.

"Chas, the Scorpions are after me. It's time to begin the next part of the plan." He instructed him, before shoving his phone away. He quickly activated his morpher as he arrived at the edge of the roof, turning back to see Harris and some mobsters approaching him.

"Better luck next time guys!" He taunted them as he teleported away. Harris screamed in frustration as he threw down his baseball bat. He pulled out his radio, contacting Fresno Bob.

"Grover slipped through our fingers." He informed the crime boss. "He used his teleportation ability."

"You better find him; we are not going to risk that truck slipping though our grasp again!" Fresno Bob barked at him. "Find Grover, and make sure you get him this time!"

Harris just put the radio away, and gestured the men to spread out and search again. He was determined not to let Ziggy get away from him again. One of the other gangsters came over to him.

"Sir, I've been thinking, how are we meant to catch him?" He asked. "Even if we do corner him, he's just going to teleport away again."

"You know, you might just have a point there." Harris responded. "I think maybe we need to find a way to get him to stick around."

"How do we do that?" The gangster asked him. Harris just smiled.

"We find someone that he'll want to stick around for." He replied. "I think it's time we found out a little more about the guy we're chasing."

Deep within the Blue Crew's territory, Hicks was back on surveillance, keeping their headquarters under observation when Chas called him.

"Ziggy's got their attention; it's time to start the next stage of the plan." Chas informed him. "Good luck Hicks."

Hicks put away his radio and picked up a blaster, making his way out onto the street, and beginning to head around the building. Eventually he found a guard making his way through a back door into the alley. He watched from a safe distance as he put his weapon down and checked around; making sure no one was looking before lighting up a cigarette. Hicks ran up behind him, smashing him to the ground before covering him on the floor. He kicked away his weapon.

"I want to see keys." He instructed him. "Where are they?"

Just then, he heard a distinctive click behind him, and felt the barrel of a blaster being pressed into the back of his head. Hicks slowly held his blaster out to the side, before dropping it on the ground.

"I guess the tables have turned then, haven't they soldier boy!" The gangster on the ground taunted him as he stood back up. Hicks just held his hands where they could be seen, but said nothing. "I recognise this guy, he's Truman's gofer. He's the one that duped Fresno Bob into hiring him when Gates took over the city."

"What's he doing out here?" The one behind Hicks asked him as a couple of others came out, surrounding Hicks.

"I heard from my boy on the inside he's on psych leave or something like that." Another commented. "I guess that's all just to cover him spying on us."

One of the gangsters slammed the butt of his rifle into Hicks' ribs, doubling him over. Hicks fought for breath as he rolled on the ground in pain.

"Bring him inside. I have a feeling Ronan's going to want to talk to him." One of them stated. They grabbed Hicks, and dragged him inside. "I hope you think this was worth it. By the time Ronan's through with you, the Battle of Corinth will seem like a day at the park."

Spike Mike was wandering through the corridors of the old foundry as his men all did their usual security sweeps to ensure the building was locked down. One of his runners came up to him, carrying some photographs.

"Boss, we found something interesting in the military zone. It looks like the Scorpions are finally making some big moves." He informed him. "There were a load of them in the city."

"What were they doing so far from the track?" Spike Mike asked as he took the photographs. "Why would Bob only be making moves now?"

"We pulled this from the city surveillance." The messenger informed him as he brought his attention to one photo in particular. "They were after Ziggy Grover."

"But they've had a no touch policy on him for all this time!" He commented as they made their way to his office. "Why would they go after him now?"

"They were after the truck." Ziggy stated as they arrived. He was sitting on Mike's desk, playing with a snow globe. Spike Mike closed the door and pulled a hand blaster out.

"How the hell did you get in here?" He asked the Green Ranger. Ziggy just pulled up his sleeve, showing him his morpher.

"This is a useful thing to have when people are chasing you." He responded. "I'm sure by now you've heard Fresno Bob's calling in my debt."

"I thought you'd have sold the goods on by now." Mike remarked. Ziggy just shrugged.

"I used some of it, but I still have about four and a half mil's worth of supplies left." He told him. "Being a Ranger doesn't exactly have a great pension scheme, and I plan on retiring some day."

"So why are you here?" Spike Mike asked him. "Why aren't you just giving the shipment to Bob?"

"Because I'm half a mil short on the debt." Ziggy explained simply. "I've known Bob long enough to know that he's unreasonable about things like that. I figured given the stalemate you're all in, that you might be willing to settle up."

"So you're going to just give me the shipment?" Spike Mike asked him. "What's the catch?"

"When you win, and you're the only mob left in town, me and my friends are off limits." He told him. "The debt's squared, and I get to go on my way no questions asked."

"Why shouldn't I just kill you now and take the shipment?" Mike asked him in response, levelling the blaster his way. Ziggy held his hand over the morpher.

"You know I'm smarter than that. The shipment's booby trapped." He told him. "If anyone but me tries to take it, the whole lot goes sky high and no one wins. Of course, if you want, I can always just teleport out of here and offer this deal to Ronan."

Spike Mike smiled and put his weapon away.

"You've got balls Grover, I'll give you that much." He responded. "You would never have had the nerve to approach me like this before. I remember you as a scrawny kid who used to stand trembling behind Benny, too scared to let anyone even see him."

"People's priorities change." He answered. "So do we have a deal?"

"Bring the truck here." Spike Mike told him. Ziggy just laughed and shook his head.

"I'm not that dumb. Here, the numbers are all in your favour." He told him. "I'll take the truck to the clearing in the contested zone, by the brewery in an hour. Be there to take delivery, or I take it straight to Ronan."

With that, he teleported back out of Mike's office. Spike Mike turned to the messenger.

"Have a guard perimeter set up here. Take everyone else to the contested zone." He instructed him.

"You're not going to trust him are you?" The messenger asked him.

"Of course not, that's why I'm sending everyone else." Spike Mike told him. "Once we know the shipment's there, bring it back here. If Grover does anything but hand over the keys, waste him."

Little did they know, Ziggy hadn't gone far. He had only teleported just outside the window. He smiled as he heard this. Spike Mike was as predictable as he remembered. He opened the communications relay to contact D46.

"He took the bait." Ziggy informed him. "Get into position."

In another area of town, Ronan came into the shower room of his headquarters, finding three of his men working over Hicks. He had been chained to the pipes, securing him in place. He shivered uncontrollably as icy cold water dripped over him, preventing him from simply zoning out, or losing consciousness. Cuts and bruises covered his body and face. His right eye was swollen shut. Ronan came up to him, signalling his men to stop the beating.

"So what exactly are you doing here?" Ronan asked him. "I mean, it doesn't sound real smart coming down here alone?"

"Who said I'm alone?" Hicks asked him. "I just wanted to get your attention."

Ronan punched him hard in the jaw, before grabbing his hair and pulling his head back to look him in the eyes.

"You've got my attention." Ronan told him. "Now is there anything you want to tell me before you die?"

"Only that the Scorpions are making moves." He told him. "The word is that they're after some major payout that will earn them enough to roll over you and your boys."

"You're bluffing." He sneered. "Everyone knows Fresno Bob's not making any moves."

"Of course Newmark wasn't making any moves either." He reminded him. "Of course when the military raided his place they found an amazing arsenal, the kind that would put you out of business."

"What kind of moves?" Ronan asked him.

"It's something to do with the Green Ranger." Hicks told him. "His guys were seen chasing him earlier tonight."

"Why would Bob be after Grover?" One of the thugs asked him. "He has nothing..."

"The shipment!" Ronan gasped as he realised what was happening. "He must have found the truck!"

He turned and gestured for his guys to follow him from the room, leaving Hicks alone in the dark. He finally let his strength fail him and slipped down, only being held up by his restraints.

"Get some men to keep an eye on Spike Mike's border. If Grover's under threat, then his only option is to try and do a deal. If he's trading with Mike, we need to know about it." Ronan ordered. "Take the rest of the guys and head to the orphanage."

"The orphanage?" One of his guys asked a little curiously. "Why?"

"I did a little digging after he stole the shipment. It turns out that the matron of the orphanage raised him." He explained. "He's been seen visiting the orphanage many times, and he even donated a lot of money from the charity Lightningball game there. If we have her and the kids, he'll call us for a deal."

Meanwhile, back at the racetrack, Harris was busy checking up some files when Fresno Bob came into the office, finding him.

"What are you doing here Harris?" He asked him. "I thought I told you to find Ziggy!"

"I plan on doing that, and this might just be the ace in the hole I need." He told him, holding up a piece of paper. "You see there isn't much point going after him; he can evade us indefinitely with that morpher. I just wanted to find a way to convince him to hang around."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Fresno Bob asked him. He smiled wickedly as he put a picture down on the desk.

"He has a connection to the orphanage." Harris told him. "All we have to do is put the little darlings at risk, and he'll have no choice but to come to us."


	39. Plan Ziggy Pt 2

Ziggy arrived at the storage unit to pick up the truck. As he went inside, pulling the keys out of his pocket, his cell phone rang. He checked caller ID, finding that it was Fresno Bob calling him and answered.

"Harris was just here looking through some papers." Bob warned him. "He knows you grew up at the orphanage. He said he's taking a team over there."

"Calm down Bob." Ziggy told him. "It's alright; it isn't time to panic yet."

"Harris is taking a gang of heavily armed ruthless gangsters to the orphanage, and you're telling me not to panic?" He asked incredulously. "Kerry's in there! Your mother!"

"So Benny did tell you." Ziggy replied. "Don't worry Bob, I have something in mind. Benny's taking care of it."

"Benny?" He roared. "You're relying on Benny to guard them against that bunch of psychos?"

"Trust me dad, I learned from the best." He said with a little smile. "I learned from Fresno Bob. Have you heard from Hicks?"

"I lost communication with him about half an hour ago." He answered him, furrowing his brows. "Ziggy, what about...?"

"Trust me, it'll be fine." Ziggy stated, before hanging up. Fresno Bob just growled in frustration as he put his cell phone away. He knew he couldn't go out to check on the orphanage himself, it would only arouse suspicion, and Ziggy still had to spring his traps, whatever they were. He just hoped that Ziggy hadn't over-estimated the security of his plan, and especially that he hadn't overestimated Benny's ability to keep Kerry and the kids safe.

Harris and about a dozen members of the Scorpion Cartel approached the orphanage by limo, pulling up outside. Harris stepped out, cradling his blaster in his arm. It was quite late, so most of the lights were out, but he could see that the light in the kitchen was on, and a shadow in the window let him know that someone was moving about inside. He could hear the sound of a woman's voice humming as he pulled closer. Obviously Ms. Foster was doing some work in the kitchen while the kids were asleep.

They approached the door silently, at which he pointed to one of his men and then to the door. He pulled out some lock tools and started to pick the lock.

Ms. Foster was busy working on preparing some meals for the day ahead. With so many kids to feed, she had always found it prudent to do as much prep work as possible before turning in for the night. At times it seemed like she was doing the work of a restaurant chef, housekeeper, nurse and nanny to dozens of kids at a time, and yet still only earned about as much as a waitress. Money wasn't the reason she took the job though. Once Ziggy had grown too old to stay at the orphanage, she had been doing the job so long; she genuinely loved it, and couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Her head jerked round as she heard the lock to the main door being triggered, and felt her heart racing a little faster. She was terrified for the kids' welfare given current circumstances. Although the orphanage was a good distance from the contested zones, she was still afraid to let the kids go outside and had kept them indoors as much as possible where she could keep an eye on them.

She reached to the stove, picking up a cast-iron skillet and made her way to the door of the kitchen, listening. She heard footsteps and knew someone was approaching. She moved to the side of the door and lifted the cooking tool high above her head as the door started to open. As she saw a large man in a suit come in the door, she screamed loudly, bringing the Skillet down across his back.

"Argh! Stop it! Kerry it's me!" Benny complained as he grabbed his shoulder in pain. She just breathed deeply and held a hand over her chest.

"God Benny you scared the bloody life out of me!" He reprimanded him. "What are you doing here?"

"Ziggy asked me to stay with you and make sure everything was fine." Benny told her, taking a seat. "How are the kids?"

"They're a little unsettled, but they're sleeping now." She responded as she got some frozen peas out of the freezer, handing them to Benny. "I'm sorry about the shoulder."

Harris pushed open the door to the kitchen, making his way in slowly as he panned around the room with his blaster, prepared for an attack. It never came though. Instead as he came in, he noticed a dressing gown hanging from a drying rack, which had been placed directly in front of an electric fan, causing it to move and flutter. There was a stereo on the counter, playing a track of a woman humming. Realising that was what he had seen; he kicked over the drying frame in frustration.

"Harris, we've checked the whole building, there's no one here!" One of his comrades informed him. "The beds haven't been slept in; no one's been here for hours!"

"We've wasted enough time here." He barked as he picked up the stereo, throwing it across the room and shattering it against the wall. "Come on guys, there's nothing here."

Just then, the front and back door of the orphanage were kicked in, and members of the Blue Crew flooded into the building. As the first of them arrived, Harris could see that they were as shocked as he was to run into each other here.

"Grover's set us up!" He yelled as he fired, taking the first of them down. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

Over at the Blue Crew's headquarters, Ronan made his way into the basement as he awaited word on his men. He had kept a few to hold down the building, and sent most of them to keep an eye on Spike Mike's mob, looking for any sign of Ziggy making the deal with them, but so far he hadn't heard anything.

He came back into the room, finding Hicks still chained to the pipes. As he saw the crime lord enter the room, Hicks pulled himself up, no longer relying on the restraints to hold him upright as he tried to gain as much of a position of strength in front of his captor as he could.

Ronan came over to him, looking into his eyes.

"You know I should probably thank you. Your information will be instrumental in me owning this city." He said elatedly as he pulled a large, sharp bowie knife from his belt. "You know, I'm so grateful, I think I'll do this quickly."

"Could I ask one thing before you do?" Hicks asked him. "Think of it as a favour. I think it's only fair since I helped you so much."

"You know what? I'm not in that much of a hurry." He responded. "What is it?"

"Could you tell me the time?" Hicks asked him. Ronan just checked his watch.

"It's about ten past ten." He replied. Hicks just laughed as he heard this. "What's so funny?"

"You know I'm on psych leave at the moment right?" He asked Ronan. He nodded in response. "Well I have this friend who likes to drop in every night at eight to check on me. Well now I'm over two hours late, and she is kind of protective. She's smart too, so I'm sure she's probably figured out where I am."

"So that's your brilliant plan?" Ronan asked him in a dismissive laugh. "Do you really think I'm scared of a girl?"

Almost on cue, there was an explosion and several screams from upstairs. Hicks smiled at him.

"That depends on the girl now doesn't it?" He said with a knowing smile. The door flew off its hinges, slamming into Ronan and taking him down as Gemma ran into the room. She looked down, satisfying herself that he was unconscious before recalling her helmet.

"Hicks, are you alright?" She asked him with a concerned look on her face as she surveyed his injuries. "What happened?"

"Let's just say I had a rough day." He responded.

"The military's moving in to secure the sector." She told him as she pulled out her cloud hatchet, preparing to cut him loose. She paused for a second looking into his face for a while, before pulling in, kissing him deeply, before she swung the weapon, smashing the chains from his wrists. She caught him as he slumped forward, helping prop him up.

"Why did you do that?" He asked her. "Why did you kiss me first?"

"I didn't know if I'd get another chance once I untied you." She answered as she helped him from the room. "Come on, we'll get you to a hospital."

Most of Spike Mike's gang had gone to the square by the old brewery to take delivery of the shipment. The handover point was deeply in the contested zone, and so Mike was taking no chances that the delivery would be interrupted. He had only held back enough men to secure the foundry, and had sent his most trusted lieutenants to receive the shipment from Ziggy.

As they heard the sound of the truck approaching, they started to fan out, taking up defensive perimeter positions, and covered the area with their blasters. One of the gangsters came over as Ziggy hopped out of the cab, morphing as he did so.

"Where's Spike Mike?" Ziggy asked as he approached.

"He's back at headquarters." The gangster told him. "I'm Rocco, you can deal with me."

"I don't deal with flunkies." Ziggy told him, snatching away the keys as Rocco reached out for them. "Mike and I have a deal. I need his assurance he'll stick to his side of the bargain, otherwise I take this straight to Ronan."

"Mike doesn't double-cross on a deal." He stated bluntly. "Now, give me the keys."

Ziggy looked between the keys and Rocco, before finally handing them over.

"Hand them over!" A voice called out. The Blue Crew filed into the area, laying down a curtain of fire. Ziggy dived into the back of the truck as the fire-fight began. Rocco followed him, using the edge of the truck for cover. He ducked back to change power cells, at which he noticed that the back of the truck was empty, except for a device a little larger than a briefcase, which Ziggy was working on.

"What the hell is that?" He asked him. "Where are the medical supplies?"

"I sold those ages ago, they're long since gone." Ziggy told him. "This is a little something I borrowed from Dr. K's lab. It's called an Electro Magnetic Pulse Generator."

He pressed a red button on it, at which a timer started ticking down.

"When this goes off, every electronic device within three hundred yards will be fried, including those high-tech weapons you all value so much." He explained as he reached for his morpher. "Have fun when the military arrives."

With that, he activated his teleportation power, leaving Rocco alone in the truck with it. He got out of the truck and started to run.

"Guys it's a trap!" He screamed as he started to run. The pulse activated, sweeping across the area. The square suddenly fell silent as both gangs found their weapons useless.

Just then, a number of APC's drove into the area, sealing off all the exits to the square. Soldiers disembarked, covering the square with their weapons. One officer fired a warning shot, letting the two factions know that their weapons still functioned.

"Everyone stay right where you are!" He ordered them. "Throw your weapons on the ground and get your hands where I can see them! Anyone resisting arrest will be shot!"

One by one, all the gangsters complied with the order. Ziggy watched on from a safe vantage point, satisfied by the result. His plan was moving along exactly as he had envisioned. He flipped out his cell phone, calling D46.

"The deal went exactly as I planned." He informed him. "You're good to hit the foundry."

Back at the orphanage, the battle spilled out onto the street outside. As the Scorpions tried to retreat, some soldiers arrived, surrounding them.

"Everybody freeze!" Colonel Truman screamed as they covered them. Harris and two of his men just jumped into the limo, gunning the engine and pulling away as fast as they could, slamming into a jeep as they went. Several blasts rebounded off the vehicle as they escaped.

"Leave them; we'll pick them up later!" Colonel Truman ordered his men as they turned their attention back to the fight in hand. As the Scorpions and the Blue Crew realised they were hopelessly outnumbered, they surrendered. The soldiers started rounding up the gangsters as Colonel Truman got onto the radio.

"Chas, we've dealt with the disturbance you reported at the orphanage." He informed him. "Harris and a couple of Scorpions got away, but we've sealed down the sector."

"Thanks for the update. The disturbance in the contested zone is under wraps." Chas replied as he activated the city map on the screen. He changed the Blue Crew's territory and the contested zone to red, indicating that they were now under military control. There were now only two territories left under control of the mobs. He smiled as he noticed this, realising that Ziggy's plan was working. The Cartels were on the run. Now all they had to do was hope for the best with the final stages of the roundup.

Spike Mike paced nervously in his office as he awaited word from Rocco about the delivery. It had now been almost half an hour since the scheduled pick up, and he was starting to get edgy.

He pulled out his cell phone, dialling Rocco. Every time he tried, all he would get was his voice mail. He finally lost his patience, throwing the phone across the room.

Just then, there was a huge crash from the lower floor. Spike Mike grabbed his blaster and ran out onto the catwalk, looking down as he saw the Go-Onger skidding to a halt, having driven through the doors. Four of his men were already down, injured by flying debris. Marcus activated smoke launchers on the vehicle, filling the lower floor with thick, black smoke, blinding the remaining henchmen.

He activated the heat-vision on his visor and made his way through the foundry, taking down guards as he went. Spike Mike fled back into his office, closing and locking the door behind him, before taking cover behind his desk, his blaster at the ready. He started breathing rapidly in his panic as he heard several blasts and a few screams. He was unsettled further when the noises stopped.

Just then, the doors flew open and Marcus strode in, firing off a blast which caught him high on the shoulder. His blaster skittered across the floor away from his grip. Spike Mike started to crawl over to it, but just as his fingers reached it, Marcus stepped on his wrist, pinning it painfully to the ground. Spike Mike looked up at him, tears running down his face, the fear in his voice obvious.

"Please don't kill me!" He begged him.

"How many people have asked you the same thing?" Marcus snarled, kicking his weapon away. He grabbed the crime boss, slamming him onto the desk and shoving the blaster into his face. "How many lives have you ruined? How many people have you murdered in cold blood?"

"You can't do this; please I'll give you anything!" Hs screamed as he closed his eyes. "Just please don't kill me!"

Marcus just looked down on him in disgust and smashed him in the face with his elbow, knocking him unconscious. He then pulled out his radio and contacted Chas.

"Spike Mike's ready to be picked up." He stated as he made his way back to the Go-Onger. "Send the guys in. This sector's secure."

Meanwhile, Ziggy made his way to the safe-house he'd evacuated Ms. Foster and the kids to, finding her and Benny sitting in the kitchen with a couple of large mugs of hot chocolate. She set down her cup and ran over to him, snatching him into a tight, passionate hug.

"I'm fine mom, I'm alright, I promise." He assured her. "How is everyone?"

"The kids took a while to settle down, but they finally got to sleep." She told him. "Other than that, everyone's safe and well."

"How are you holding up Benny?" Ziggy asked him.

"I'm a little sore." He admitted, stroking his shoulder. "I found out what a cast-iron skillet feels like. Maybe I should have called before I came round." Ms. Foster just laughed as he said this. She still felt guilty about hurting her long-time friend.

The radio crackled into life, and Harris' voice came over the air waves.

"Everyone get back to the race track NOW!" He roared loudly. "The orphanage was a trap! We've been set up!"

Ziggy looked at the radio in alarm as he heard this. He hadn't counted on anyone escaping the ambush at the orphanage. Now that Harris had escaped, he was sure that he was going to want answers.

"I need to get going." He told her, gathering up his jacket and making his way to the door. "Benny, stay here with mom, make sure no one comes in that you don't know."

"Ziggy where are you going?" Kerry shrieked as he prepared to leave.

"Dad's still at the race track." He reminded her. "Now they know they've been sent on a wild goose chase around the whole city, they're going to want answers. How long do you really think it'll be before they start to suspect dad?"

"Ziggy, the entire Cartel's going to be back at the race track by the time you get there." Benny reminded him. "You've set them all up; they'll be out for blood, its suicide!"

"Dad's in there all by himself, his life's in danger. I can't leave him." Ziggy replied abruptly. "Call Chas, have him send the military to the race track, but give me ten minutes first."

"Ziggy..."

"I started this mom, now I have to finish it!" Ziggy interrupted her. "I can't just let dad bite the bullet for me. I have to try."

With that, he turned and ran from the safe-house, leaving them alone together. Benny just held her as she wept.

"He knows what he's doing; you have to have faith in him." Benny whispered to her softly.

"I wish I could." She murmured. "I'm scared Benny."

"So am I Kerry." He replied sadly. "So am I."

Over at the race track, the Scorpions barged into Fresno Bob's office after their hectic night. Fresno Bob had anticipated that they would return to the race track once they started getting reports of the hits on all the other cartels.

"Bob, thing are going nuts in the city." One of them called out. "We've been hearing reports from all over the city. The military's taken everything; we're all that's left!"

"What do we do boss?" Another asked him.

"What do you think we do? We fight!" Harris shouted as he came into the room, shoving his way to the front. "We fortify this place, get it on lockdown and we take out anyone that dares to set foot on Cartel soil!"

"Do you really think we have the manpower to take on Truman by ourselves?" Fresno Bob asked him. "I wonder what you're using for brains Harris!"

"Oh I've got brains alright; I have enough brains to know that we've been set up." Harris answered him. "We've been out there all night chasing our tails."

"What are you saying Harris?" Bob asked him. "I'm not sure I like your tone."

"Spike Mike, Ronan, me, we've all been set up!" He snapped, pounding a fist on the desk. "First the deal gets crashed by the military, then Ronan's place gets trashed by the Silver Ranger and finally both myself and the Blue Crew turn up to an empty building, only to have Truman show up!"

He leaned in closer, glaring at his boss angrily.

"They've been one step ahead of us the whole night, like they knew every move we were going to make." He hissed menacingly. He grabbed the desk, throwing it aside. "You sold us out you two-faced son of a bitch!"

"You're way out of line Harris!" Bob said with as much authority as he could muster. "I'm going to have you buried under the stables for this!"

"Why don't we ask them what they believe?" Harris asked him. "I say it's time for new leadership. Anyone that wants to follow me, raise your hand."

Fresno Bob watched in horror as all his men raised their hands. Harris just sneered at him.

"Get out of here. Grab all the weapons and ammo you can and lock this place down." Harris ordered them as he took off his jacket. He pulled off his tie and his shirt, handing them all to one of his henchmen and gesturing for them to leave the room. He pulled a set of brass knuckles out of his pocket and slid it onto his hand. "My first order of business is to take care of the traitor."


	40. Crushing the Scorpions

Ziggy was standing at the top of a parking garage across the street from the race track, casting a critical eye over the race track. He didn't even register as the Go-Onger parked next to him. D46 killed the engine, before he and Chas disembarked. Ziggy looked at Chas a little curiously, wondering why he was there. He was wearing his old military fatigues and body armour. A holster carrying a hand blaster was strapped around his waist.

"Chas, what are you doing here?" Ziggy asked him. "You know the military will be here any minute."

"You're not the only one with a personal investment in this." Chas reminded him. He cast a small glance aside, remembering that D46 was still oblivious to the connection between them. "Bob's risked a lot for us. We owe it to him to try and get him out safely."

"How's Hicks?" Ziggy asked him.

"Gemma checked him into the hospital half an hour ago." Chas assured him. "He's pretty roughed up, but he should be fine. Remind me to recommend him for a raise when he gets out. He took a pretty big bullet for us."

"Well he did volunteer to be the one taking the beating." Ziggy chuckled. "I guess he was right about Gemma coming after him. I suppose it pays to have an overprotective, hyperactive boom-happy psycho watching your back."

D46 pulled out a lap top, tapping a few keys and rested it on the wall, showing them the screen.

"I've hacked into the surveillance system. It looks like they're going into a pretty serious lockdown." D46 told them, flicking through the images. Men were barricading entrances, and gathering weapons to repel any attempt to enter the building. "I counted about 40 men."

"Is there any sign of Bob?" Ziggy asked him. D46 pulled up an image from the office, showing Bob and Harris facing each other. Harris threw a wild punch, taking Bob to the ground.

"It looks like they've figured out his part in all this." Ziggy remarked as he thought about it. "If we don't get in there, he won't survive until the military shows up." He turned to face D46.

"Did you bring the rifle like I asked?" He asked him. The infiltrator turned to the Go-Onger, opening the side door and pulling out two laser sniper rifles.

"Snipers work better in teams of two." He told Ziggy, handing one to Chas. "How's your aim Winchester?"

"I used to get one of the highest marks on the firing range all the time at the academy." He said in response, taking the rifle from him, slamming in a power cell. "I'll pull my weight."

"I've been using the morpher kind of a lot tonight, so I won't have enough power for more than a couple of short jumps." Ziggy told them, holding out his hand to D46. "I'll need the Go-Onger."

"I guess I had to return it eventually." He muttered as he handed over the keys. "So what's the plan?"

"The plan is I go in, grab Bob and get out." Ziggy said with a small shrug. "The two of you just keep the Cartel guys off me. Once I get him, we all bug out, head for home and leave the rest of this to the military."

"Is that all?" Chas asked sarcastically as Ziggy got into the cab of the Go-Onger and started up the engine. Ziggy rolled down the window and smiled at his half-brother, shaking his head.

"No, there is one more thing." He replied. "Don't miss."

With that, he pulled out of the parking space, heading down the ramps. D46 and Chas both took position by the wall, readying their weapons.

"I really hope the little guy knows what he's doing." D46 stated, checking his own rifle.

"He's got us this far." Chas said with a little smile. "I've learned to stop underestimating him long ago."

Meanwhile, inside the office of the race track, Harris was slowly stalking Fresno Bob as he rolled on the floor in agony. He had beaten him brutally since wresting control of the Scorpion Cartel from him. He kicked Bob in the stomach as he lay on the ground.

"You know I thought you'd lost your nerve long ago old-timer." He taunted him as he kicked him again. "I heard you used to run the show before you came here. I came to you because I wanted a piece of the action. No one messed with you before the attacks. Then we came here and everything changed."

He grabbed Bob, throwing him across the room, slamming him into the drinks cabinet.

"When we got here, you were so scared of Truman; you stopped striving to be the man. Instead of taking what you wanted, you started hanging around in back rooms making deals with all our enemies like a coward!" He said dismissively as his radio crackled a little. "You went from being the man to being a joke overnight."

"You think I'm a joke?" Fresno Bob asked him, pulling himself up to his knees. "You've never seen a real war Harris. You don't know what it takes to get to the top!"

"What does it take then Bob?" He asked derisively as the radio crackled again.

"Harris, there's someone approaching the parking complex." He heard one of his men yell over the radio.

"Deal with him!" Harris snarled, before throwing the radio aside. "So tell me then Bob, what does it take to get to the top? Making deals and staying away from people who scare you?"

"The big mistake you always make is thinking that the only way to be strong is to throw yourself headlong into a fight. Well that's what Mike, Ronan and the Yo-Yo brothers thought and look what happened to them!" He answered. "I made deals so I wouldn't have to fight, but don't for one second believe I had no intention of dealing with the others. I didn't get to the top by standing toe to toe with every thug that stood in my way."

"So how did you get to the top Bob?" Harris asked him. With that, Fresno Bob grabbed a bottle of whisky, throwing the liquid into his eyes, before punching him hard in the groin. He got to his feet, slamming a fist into his face.

"I fought dirty!" He spat in response.

Down at the parking complex, Ziggy sped towards the gates as members of the Scorpion Cartel converged on the door, opening fire. Blasts rebounded off the hull and the windshield as he floored the accelerator, smashing through the gates. The guards scattered to avoid being hit as he continued through.

"Ziggy, what the hell are you doing?" Hicks asked him over the radio. "You're nowhere near Bob's office!"

"I used to work for him; I know this place like the back of my hand!" Ziggy reminded him. A guard leapt out from behind a car, carrying a stinger spike strip, but he was taken down by a sniper shot before he could deploy it. "I know exactly where I'm going!"

"Well you could have fooled me." D46 stated as he fired a couple of shots, taking down more guards as they moved into position to try and fire on the Go-Onger. "Even if you do know where the office is, you're in the parking garage. How do you intend to get into the building?"

"I'm going to use the door." Ziggy told him as he arrived at the fourth floor.

"There's no door between the garage and..." Chas was interrupted as Ziggy hit a switch, activating a nitrous injection, launching the Go-Onger forward faster, slamming it through the wall into the corridor of the main building. "Never mind."

Ziggy sped through the corridor, scattering guards as he went. In the building across the street, Chas and D46 kept up the covering fire, keeping them away from the vehicle.

"Hold on Dad, it help's on the way." Ziggy whispered to himself. "Just hold on a little longer."

Back in the office, Bob wrestled with Harris as he tried to get the upper hand on the larger man. Harris broke a hand free, punching him hard in the stomach. Bob screamed, falling to the ground as he felt his wound re-open. It hadn't been long enough since his surgery for his body to take this kind of abuse. He fell to the floor, holding a hand over his wound, feeling the blood beginning to seep through his shirt. Harris finally had a chance to clear his vision properly.

"You didn't really think you could beat me did you Bob?" He asked him in a laugh. "You're old, weak, you're nothing compared to me."

Harris looked around curiously as he heard the commotion in the hall. Fresno Bob threw himself as far from the door to the office as he could just as the rear of the Go-Onger swerved through the wall and the door, scattering debris in all directions. Harris was hit by the rear of the vehicle, being thrown across the room and scattered onto the floor. Ziggy got out of the cab and ran over to his father, helping him to his feet.

"The military will be here any minute." Ziggy told him. "It's time to go!"

"Grover!" Harris roared as he started to help Bob towards the vehicle. He pulled out a hand blaster, levelling it at Ziggy and his father. "You shouldn't have come here Ziggy, but I'm glad you did. You saved me looking for you. Now I can kill both of you right here and now."

"You don't want to point that blaster at us Harris." Ziggy warned him. "If you want to live, just let us go, and when the military gets here, just throw down your weapons and surrender."

"What are you going to do, morph?" He asked derisively. "I'll put a hole in your head before you hit the switch."

"Who said I was going to kill you?" Ziggy asked him. With that, a shot hit Harris in the shoulder, before another went straight through his forehead. Harris' body stood for a second, before falling backwards slowly to the floor. Ziggy helped Bob into the vehicle, before getting into the cab, and using the office for a three point turn.

"Hold on dad." He said as he shifted into gear and pulled away, returning the way he came. "I'll get you to a hospital."

Bob held his wound, but couldn't help getting a little smile on his face as Ziggy raced through the building. He had called him dad.

Across the street, D46 just turned to Chas, raising his rifle a little.

"Sorry I doubted you." He complimented Chas. "I can't believe my shot was wide."

"I told you I was up to it." Chas replied with a smirk. He looked out over the edge as APC's started to come into view. "Come on, it's time we weren't here."

"I'll get rid of these." D46 assured him as he took the rifle from him. "I'm sure it would be a little hard for the Mayor to explain his fingerprints on a sniper's rifle."

"It's much appreciated." He responded as he shook D46's hand. "Thanks for all your help."

"I'll be around." He assured him. "I've still got a few things to take care of in this city."

He turned and started to walk away, but paused as he reached the stairwell.

"When you see the Green Ranger, tell him we're even." He added. "Our agreement is off."

Chas watched him go, feeling a little nervous about this. He already knew that D46 had some kind of vendetta against Dillon and Tenaya. The Go-Onger arrived, interrupting his thoughts as he worried about the potential fallout. Had his family not gone through enough? Did Ziggy really need to face the potential threat to his girlfriend and his unborn child?

"Chas, come on, we have to get dad to a hospital." Ziggy called out, opening the side door. "Chas, hurry it up, Tenaya's already going to be super pissed at me. I was meant to be back hours ago with Mexican. She'll tear me a new one."

"Ziggy, you have no idea what problems are." He replied with a chuckle. "I missed Brie's scan today. If you think Tenaya's bad now, wait till the hormones kick in."

"Tenaya's scary enough when she's angry." Ziggy responded with a shake of the head. "Please don't scare me anymore."

With that, they all pulled out of the parking complex, making their way to the hospital. Fresno Bob just sat smiling as he listened to his two sons comparing notes on their respective fears as future parents. It felt good to have this moment with his family.

After dropping Bob off at the hospital, and giving Chas a ride back to his place, Ziggy drove back to the Garage, activating the door control, and driving the Go-Onger back into the main garage. He killed the engine and got out of the vehicle, closing the door behind him. As he made his way through the garage, he heard a little moan from the couch. He turned around, smiling as he saw Tenaya curled up on the sofa sleeping. She had obviously waited for him, and fallen asleep.

He came over to her, placing a hand on her face, gently stroking her hair, rousing her. Her eyes fluttered open a little, but were still heavy. She yawned a little as she saw him.

"Ziggy, what time is it?" She asked him. "I waited for you to call or..."

"Sorry, I got a little sidetracked." He explained as she sat up on the couch. She looked at him, seeing his slightly dishevelled state. Given his long night, he was exhausted, and every inch of him ached from the exertion.

"What happened to you?" She asked him. She looked over seeing the Go-Onger parked in the room. "Is that the Go-Onger? What happened to you?"

"I'll explain tomorrow, I promise." He assured her. "Right now, all I want is a good night's sleep and a warm meal tomorrow."

"Did you get the food?" Tenaya asked him. Ziggy sucked his teeth and shook his head sadly. "Sorry, there's nowhere still open at this time of the morning."

Tenaya looked up to the clock and turned back to him looking completely livid.

"It's five in the morning Ziggy!" She snapped at him. "What were you doing until five in the bloody morning?"

"Tenaya, I'm really sorry, I'll explain everything and make it up to you tomorrow." He pleaded with her, taking her hand in his and giving her his cutest hang-dog expression. "I'll let you tear me a new one tomorrow, I promise, but can the three of us just get some rest please?"

She wanted to stay mad at him, but he started to whimper like a little puppy as he continued to look at her. She groaned as she realised he had managed to circumvent her anger with the unbearably cute display yet again.

"I guess I could use some sleep." She conceded as she got up and started to make her way to her room. "Are you coming?"

Ziggy just smiled and followed her to the bedroom, arriving just as she was climbing into the bed. He climbed in after her, completely in awe of her. He would never have imagined having such strength before he met her, but the knowledge that she was carrying her child had changed everything for him. He had not only taken on and defeated every gangster in Corinth in one night for them, but he had faced his own past. While he wasn't quite ready to forgive his father, he had accepted what he had done. He had spoken to his mother and reconciled with her over her own deception.

He got under the covers, putting his arms around Tenaya, holding her softly as she started to drift off. She smiled slightly as she felt his grip.

"I'm not going to forget you know." She said wearily as she finally drifted off. Ziggy just smiled and closed his eyes, laying his head down on the pillow. He had no doubt she would remember to chew him out for deserting her for the whole night without a word, but right now, he didn't care. He had everything he needed right in his arms.


	41. The Day After

The next morning, Scott and Summer came down the stairs, finding Flynn standing in the middle of the main Garage, his mouth hanging open in shock. Scott laughed a little and waved a hand in front of his face, trying and failing to attract his attention.

"Earth to Flynn, are you alright?" He asked him. Summer turned to see what he was looking at, her eyes opening wide in amazement. She hit Scott gently in the arm, pointing across the room.

"Hey, what's so…?" It was now Scott's turn to be confused as he saw the Go-Onger parked in the middle of the main garage plain as day. It had a few minor scorch marks on it, and it looked like it could do with a wash, but other than that, it was just sitting in the room with them like nothing had happened. "The Go-Onger?"

"I haven't seen it since D46 stole it." Flynn remarked, crossing over to the armoured vehicle and inspecting it. "It could do with a little cleaning…"

"Spread out!" Scott ordered them, interrupting the Blue Ranger as he morphed. Summer did likewise. "He might still be here."

"I'll check on Dillon." Summer replied quietly, bringing out her Nitro Sword. "He's in no condition to defend himself."

She went off into the lab to ensure that Dillon was safe. For his own good to give his body time to recover from surgery without putting too much strain on his wounds, he was still sedated and restrained. In his current state, he'd be helpless against D46. Flynn morphed too as he saw Scott beginning to search the premises.

Flynn went down to the basement where the new Go-Onger had been built, beginning to look around. Slowly making his way through the room, he checked behind several items of equipment, before finally satisfying himself that no one was there.

Scott meanwhile was upstairs in the accommodation section, beginning to check the rooms. He opened the door to the twins' room, finding Gemma brushing her teeth while Gem read a book on Chaos Theory. They both looked to him a little confused that he was morphed, and had come into their room uninvited.

"Sorry, but we think D46 might be in here." He warned them in a whisper. "Suit up and check the rest of the building."

Gem and Gemma did as they were told, beginning to fan out and search the other rooms. Scott meanwhile, accessed a control panel, opening a door to the secure third floor, where Dr. K not only had her most secret projects, but also were her bedroom was situated. Scott wanted to check on her and make sure she was alright. Dr. K had not been the only one in the building when D46 had broken in to steal the vehicle; Scott had been there too, though with the soundproof door to his bedroom closed, he hadn't heard him sneaking in.

Dr. K hadn't been hurt in the resulting hostage situation, only a little shaken up by the experience but Scott still felt guilty. He was in the building while his girlfriend was forced to hand over a top secret, highly dangerous combat vehicle, and tied up in the basement, and yet he had slept through the whole thing. He was determined to ensure that something similar didn't happen to her again.

As he arrived in her bedroom, he found her stepping out of the shower. She looked up, seeing him standing there and pulled a towel around herself. Scott just turned his head and put his hand over his visor.

"Dr. K, I'm sorry." He rushed out as she looked for a dressing gown. He tried hard to look anywhere but at her. He had known she was in her bedroom, but he didn't know she wasn't dressed, much less just stepping out of the shower. In truth, he didn't even know she had a shower up there. He had only been in her bedroom once by invitation when she explained how to access the third floor, only to him in case of emergencies. She just looked at him as he started to babble nervously. "I didn't mean…that is…I was looking for…"

"Me?" She asked him, taking a little amusement in his awkwardness. Back at Alphabet Soup, there weren't the same social parameters as there were in the real world. While her social skills had suffered as a lack of normal social interaction, there were also certain other side effects.

Because the staff were all encouraged to take an active role in ensuring the health, and by extension productivity of the children in the installation, they were given regular health checkups. Sometimes as often as a weekly basis when they were worried a virus or cold had inadvertently been brought into the base. Also, while the kids were never taught about romance, and discouraged from pursuing any kind of significant relationships with others, sometimes to the point of being held in isolation, they were educated in human reproduction. As a result, they didn't really hold the same taboos about the human body.

She understood that Scott and the others had been taught differently, and had observed enough to know there was a certain reluctance to appear undressed in front of others, (a certain embarrassing incident in the communal bathroom involving Summer and Flynn in the early days had been an eye opener to her about how much people over-reacted to such things), to her the human body was merely a device of function. It was nothing to be embarrassed about. She had been made to strip for medical examinations in front of strangers many times growing up, meaning such matters no longer bothered her. Of course she also had an idea of the problems it could cause when she started to be drawn to Scott, and find herself staring at him, especially in a state of undress. Now she found herself having a little fun at seeing his reaction to her in the reverse situation.

"No…I mean yes…I mean…I was checking on you." He finally managed to say. "We found the Go-Onger parked in the garage. We think D46 might be in the building."

"Well he isn't in here." She stated bluntly as she started to look out her track suit. "Are you sure?"

"Gem, Gemma and Flynn are sweeping the rooms downstairs." He informed her. "We're just checking to be sure."

"I'll go to my lab and check the surveillance footage." She stated, pulling on her trousers, followed quickly by a t-shirt. She started to follow him down the stairs. "You and the others just continue to search."

"No way doc, if he's here, I'm not leaving your side." He stated flatly.

They both went to the second floor, where Gem and Gemma were just coming to the last of the bedrooms. Gemma opened the door, rushing inside, finding Ziggy and Tenaya still sleeping in each other's arms. Tenaya stirred and opened her eyes, seeing the Silver Ranger standing over them and screamed in fright, waking Ziggy.

Ziggy was ripped from his sleep by Tenaya's scream and snapped up, also screaming. Gemma quickly joined them, having been surprised by their screaming. Hearing the commotion, Scott, Gem and Dr. K all quickly rushed into the room, doing nothing to ease the situation.

"What's going on?" Tenaya shrieked as she gathered covers around herself in an effort to hide her embarrassment.

"We heard screaming." Scott explained as he tried to look away. This wasn't really how he planned to spend the morning. Gem and Dr. K were just looking at them curiously while Gemma, having finally calmed down, started to appreciate how cute the image of them sleeping in each other's arms was.

"Of course you heard bloody screaming!" Tenaya yelled at him, covering her face as much as she could. "I woke up to find Gemma standing over us!"

"We found the Go-Onger parked downstairs." Gem explained. "We're searching the building; we think D46 might have broken in again."

Tenaya just gave Ziggy a hard glare, before turning away from him, folding her arms defensively.

"That would...uh...that would be down to me." Ziggy informed them. "I brought the Go-Onger back last night."

"You brought it back?" Scott asked him, turning back and staring at Ziggy as he de-morphed. "Right, both of you, get dressed and come to the lab in ten minutes."

With that, they all left the room, leaving Ziggy and Tenaya alone in the room. Ziggy turned to Tenaya placing a hand on her shoulder which she quickly brushed off. He knew he had to explain things, and that he was likely to be in trouble for leaving Tenaya for the whole night without a single word, but the rather rude awakening had put her in a foul mood, which was not going to help matters. He just got out of the bed and looked for his jacket, as he prepared for what he knew was going to be a hard day.

Over in Corinth city hospital, Fresno Bob was reminding himself exactly how much he hated hospital food as he forced down another mouthful of a rather bland, tasteless omelette. The nurse knocked on the door, raising his attention.

"You have a visitor." She told him. "He insisted on seeing you as soon as possible."

"Send him in." Bob told her, pushing his tray away from himself. "I'm finished here."

"You know you really should eat." Chas stated as he came into the room. "You'll need your strength if you want to get out of here."

"Trust me, if I eat this much longer it'll do more harm than good." Bob greeted him with a smile. "Come in."

The nurse removed the tray and left the room, leaving Chas alone with Bob. He grabbed a chair, moving it next to the bed.

"I spoke to the justice department this morning, apparently you've yet to give them the confession you promised when all this started." Chas began, sitting with him. Fresno Bob reached across to the table next to his bed, picking up a lap top and handing it to Chas.

"I just need to print it out and sign it." Bob replied. "Everything's there. I meant what I said; I'll take responsibility for my part in everything."

"You admitted a lot." Chas commented, reading through it. "You must have been up most of the night typing this."

"I got a couple of hours' sleep." He responded quietly. Chas turned the computer to face him, and then hit the delete key, erasing the document.

"What are you doing?" Bob asked him. Chas reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter, handing it to his father to read.

"I took the liberty of checking over our records and finding out which of the crimes you admitted to we could actually prove." Chas informed him. "I figured that there's no point in taking responsibility for more than you have to."

"Chas..."

"I also took the liberty of speaking to the justice department, informing them of your contribution to ending the war and bringing the Cartels to justice." He continued. "I've managed to get you a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Bob asked him.

"If you sign that confession, then you'll not stand trial. We'll pass a guilty verdict and begin your sentence." He informed him. "10 years, but because your service to the city has been taken into account, your sentence will be suspended for five years, during which time you will be required to be of service to the community."

"I don't know what to say." Bob gasped, hearing this news. He was prepared to accept the consequences of his actions, to sacrifice himself for his dream of finally ridding the streets of the large scale violence that had plagued his life since childhood. What Chas was proposing though would essentially mean that if he retired from crime as he promised, he would never see the inside of a cell. "Thank you."

"Well, Ziggy and I talked when he was taking me home last night, and we'd both like our kids to know their grandfather." He explained.

"You said I'd be required to do community service." Bob reminded him. "What kind of thing were you thinking of?" Chas just smiled at him.

"There's someone else I think would like to talk to you about that." He replied. "Come in Ms. Foster."

Bob couldn't contain his joy, grinning broadly as Ms. Foster came into the room. She looked down on him with a few tears in her eyes as she approached the bed, holding his hand.

"I could always use a hand around the orphanage." She told him. "After the battle, there was a fair bit of damage. I could use the help cleaning up. After that, I could always use another pair of hands around the place."

"I'll leave you two alone." Chas said quietly as he took the signed confession from his father. "I'll get this processed. You should hear the official word from the justice department before you're discharged."

Fresno Bob didn't even notice as Chas left. He was too busy looking at Ms. Foster. He reached out with his hand, stroking her face gently.

"You've changed so much." He breathed gently. "All that time I had the orphanage under surveillance and I never knew. I'd have walked past you in the street."

"It was a small price to pay." She replied sadly. "I needed to be close to our son."

"You gave up everything for him." He whispered. "I can't believe after all these years I finally get to see you again."

"I never dared to dream that it would ever all be over." She told him honestly, holding his hand softly as she looked into his eyes. Her heart beat faster as she looked on the man she had loved for well over twenty years. She had devoted her life to her son, but in all that time, she had never stopped loving Bob. "I know it's been a long time and..."

"After I lost you, I could never face putting myself through that again." He assured her, stroking her hair gently. "There's never been anyone else."

With that, she pulled into him, kissing him softly. Bob looked at her as she parted from him.

"I love you." She told him. "I always have."

Bob didn't say another word. He just pulled himself up on his bed and hugged her tightly as his joy overtook him. They had both given up so much to keep Ziggy safe. Now though, it looked as if all those sacrifices were finally being repaid. This was more than either of them could ever have hoped for.

Back at the Garage, all the Rangers were assembled in the Lab when Ziggy and Tenaya finally arrived. Dillon was looking a little groggy as a result of all the painkillers he was currently receiving while his incisions healed. Summer was holding his hand, but put an arm around Tenaya as she arrived. Flynn, Gem, Gemma and Dr. K all just sat staring at Ziggy as he took a seat.

"So what do you know about all of this Ziggy?" Scott asked him. "How did you get the Go-Onger back from D46?"

"OK, I think first of all, you should all see something first." Ziggy began as he picked up a remote for the video screens. He switched them on to the news network. The others all stared at the screens; the surprise obvious in their faces as the reports of that night came flooding in.

"The gang war is over?" Flynn asked in a small voice. "All the cartels were taken down in one night!"

"I know Hicks was kidnapped. I broke him out myself." Gemma chipped in. "The place was virtually deserted. There were only about a dozen guards in the building."

"It says the military caught the cartels in ambushes all over the city." Scott added.

"That's what I was doing last night." Ziggy told them. "I knew D46 was going after the Cartels, that's been pretty much public knowledge since all this began. I found him and helped him last night."

"Wait, you went looking for him?" Tenaya asked him in confusion. "Why would you do that?"

"I did it for you." Ziggy told her. "I did it because I wanted the war to end. I didn't want to risk our child being brought into the world when things were like this. I knew D46 had the strength to get through it all eventually, but the going was slow and the casualties were mounting up. No one knew the Cartels as well as I did, so I formed a plan. I used their desires and their fears against them to set them up."

"Ziggy, we were told to stay out of the war!" Scott snapped at him. "What would we have done if something had happened to you?"

"I knew what I was doing, and I'd do it again." Ziggy assured him. He crossed the room towards Tenaya who had turned her face from him. He lifted her chin to look into her face. "I'm sorry; I couldn't tell any of you what I was doing. I knew you'd only try and stop me, but I needed to do it for my family."

He smiled at Tenaya, shifting a little closer to her.

"I promised myself I'd do anything for you and the baby." He told her. "I'm sorry about last night; I'll do everything I can to make it up to you. Can you forgive me?"

Tenaya smiled a little and pulled into him, kissing him passionately. The others, except for Summer started to slowly leave the room, leaving them alone. They were eventually interrupted as Dillon cleared his throat, reminding them of his presence.

"You know, I can't really leave. Could you try to keep a lid on that kind of thing please?" He begged them, still not entirely comfortable with the situation. Knowing about the pregnancy, he was getting some rather uncomfortable mental images when he saw them together now that did nothing for his temper. Summer slapped him playfully in the chest, causing him to wince slightly.

"Oh leave them alone. I think it's kind of sweet." She commented. She then realised what she had done. "Sorry about that."

"Besides, you really should give Ziggy a break." Tenaya teased him, realising that since he was unable to walk out or do anything to Ziggy, this was a perfect opportunity to finally have the discussion about her news. She took Ziggy's hand and placed it on her stomach. "Because of this little guy we're all going to be family pretty soon."

Dillon just looked between the three of them, realising he was being ganged up on, and was in no position to do anything about it.

"You are so lucky I'm strapped down right now." Dillon grumbled. "Ok Ziggy, let's talk."

Just then, the alarm sounded, and Scott rushed back into the lab.

"Guys, we're needed in the city." Scott told them. "Killobyte's paying a visit downtown."

"It looks like we'll have to pick this up later." Tenaya responded as she pulled on her jacket. Ziggy grabbed her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked her. "You can't go out there!"

"Tenaya, you have to think of the baby." Summer agreed.

"You don't know Killobyte like I do; you'll need all the help you can get." She told them. "I don't want to risk harming the baby either, but Dillon's at least a few days away from a full recovery."

"Tenaya, I'll be fine." Dillon told her. "Just get Dr. K..."

"How many fingers am I holding up?" She asked him, holding three fingers in front of his face. Dillon squinted a little.

"On which hand?" He asked her. Tenaya turned back to the others.

"I promise I'll be careful, but you need me and you know it." She stated flatly. Ziggy and Summer looked at each other, uncertain about the safety, or even sanity of this plan, before finally conceding that she was right.

"OK, but this is the LAST TIME!" Ziggy put down flatly.

"Fine, after this I'll hang up the morpher." Tenaya replied, kissing him on the cheek softly, before turning and running from the room. "Let's go!"


	42. Fragile Peace

D46 made his way slowly through what was left of Spike Mike's old territory, towards the ruins of the old foundry he had used as his base of operations. Since the war had ended, with the Cartels being all but destroyed, there were soldiers everywhere, rounding up the few gangsters who had escaped the ambushes, finding and treating civilian casualties and overseeing the cleanup and repairs required to bring the city back to working order. As a result, much of the city was still neglected. Priority was given to rebuilding homes to get citizens out of temporary housing and back into their homes, meaning that places like the foundry were simply cordoned off and left unused until such time as time and effort could be spared to repair them.

Marcus knew that the military wasn't really looking for him. Chas had agreed not to send the military after him out of gratitude for his help in securing the city, but that didn't mean they would never come after him. Strictly speaking, they were still looking for the infiltrator that had eluded them when the refugees came in from the wastes. Of course they had long since lost track of him, and they had more than enough on their plate that they weren't likely to form a search party. Between that, and the fact they weren't planning on doing anything with the foundry meant that this was a perfect place for him to hide while he decided on his next move.

Making his way inside, he looked around to see what he had at his disposal. The military had understandably removed all the weapons belonging to the gangsters; he knew that was too much to hope for. He had been forced to abandon his own weapons, and knew he would have to acquire or make some in due course. Their food had also been mostly taken, either by the military or by looters desperate to feed the families that had been in hiding in fear of their lives. That was another thing that he would need to rustle up from somewhere.

He went to a junction box, finding no power in the building. The lines had been cut to save energy, but he knew that it would be a relatively simple matter to set up a tap to the local grid. There was plenty of debris, and the furnaces looked like they still contained some unburned fuel, so heat would not be a problem for the foreseeable future. He had shelter, power and heat, and he was sure that he could acquire the rest in time. He looked around once more and smiled. This would serve as an ideal shelter for the time being.

He noticed a chair in the debris, and righted it, dusting it off before sitting on it and removing his helmet, finally taking some time to rest. He had done as he had promised and secured the city from the ravages of the gang war. Now all he had left was to return to his war on Venjix, but one more threat to the city remained, his brethren. He had been to the Garage once before to collect the Go-Onger. He was sure that the security would be much tighter now, and so he had to form a plan to get in. He couldn't allow them the opportunity to betray the human race.

Killobyte was busy tearing up downtown when the Rangers arrived on the scene. He shouldered his blaster and turned to face them as they disembarked from their vehicles to confront him.

"I see you're all here, even the traitor." He greeted them in his usual casual drawl. "Tell me, how is Ragnarock? The tracking systems we planted in him all stopped functioning days ago." He pointed to Summer as she confronted him.

"I don't have emotions, so perhaps you can do me a favour Ranger Yellow. Tell me, how does it feel to know that you killed the one you love?" He asked her. "Have you buried him yet? If not, I would dearly love to take his corpse for further study."

"Dillon's alive." Summer told him. Killobyte cocked his head to the side, a little surprised to hear this. "We removed all that other junk you put in him. He's back to normal."

"Well that is a surprise." He said coldly.

"What are you doing here Killobyte?" Tenaya asked him. "I know it's not like you to just turn up and ask after one of your fallen comrades."

"I came to deliver a message." He replied. "I'm here to tell you that Shifter's sacrifice has not been in vain. Venjix walks among us once more, and his new body shall spell the end of humanity."

"We've heard this before remember?" Gem asked him. "I destroyed one of them myself!"

"His new body is more powerful than any you've ever faced, more powerful even than me." Killobyte responded.

"What do you say we find out how powerful you are then?" Scott asked as he pulled out his morpher.

"RPM, Get in Gear!" They all called out together. Killobyte just laughed as he saw this.

"I guess I have a little time to show you how overmatched you are." He stated as he put his rifle away and pulled out a sword. "This will be fun."

In another part of the city, Marcus wandered through the streets, looking for somewhere he could rustle up some food. He had found a long, hooded overcoat among the debris in the foundry. He didn't want to attract attention to himself, and his face mask and leather jacket weren't really inconspicuous. He pulled his coat around himself, pulling up the hood to protect him from the rain. Due to the scale of the destruction and the occasional fires, Vasquez had set the city's weather system to give long periods of heavy rainfall to help the fire services out.

Marcus made his way through the memorial park, finding it one of the few areas that didn't have a heavy military presence. As he made his way through, in search of somewhere he could find food, he found himself irresistibly drawn to the memorial obelisk in the centre of the park. He walked up to it, reading through the names of all those that had been lost.

A macabre curiosity came over him and he started scanning each of the names in turn, eventually finding his own name, inscribed in gold lettering. He reached out to the obelisk, running his fingers across the letters, longing for a life he had long since lost.

One of the caretakers was whistling in a carefree manner as he swept the plinth. Marcus tapped him on the shoulder, before gesturing to the obelisk.

"This name, it has letters after it." He told the old caretaker, pointing to his name.

"Marcus W Truman, OC". He read aloud. The caretaker just laughed a little and smiled at him.

"You are kidding right?" He asked Marcus disbelievingly. Marcus just stared at him blankly. "Marcus Truman was one of the heroes of the Battle of Corinth. He was awarded the Order of Corinth."

"He was honoured posthumously?" Marcus asked, a little uncertain how to feel as he heard this information. The caretaker looked like he was ready to collapse as he asked this.

"Where have you been living? Mars?" He asked incredulously. He pointed to another memorial a little way from them that Marcus hadn't really noticed until now. "It was one of the biggest events in the history of Corinth when they honoured him."

Marcus just nodded to the man in a wordless thank you and made his way over to the monument. It was sitting under a wooden gazebo, built to protect it from the weather. Lights were attached to each of the six supports, allowing the citizens to come and see it any time day or night. It was a black marble block, veined with lines of a smoky gray that came up to Marcus' waist height, on top of which was a glass box, holding the tribute to his honour. A gold plaque, bearing his name, the title of the Order of Corinth, and a small epitaph was sitting just under the glass. Above that, was a stand, holding his medal, and an expertly crafted sword.

Marcus touched the glass as he inspected the tribute inside. The sword was a slightly curved sabre, much like the ceremonial sabres handed out to officers for parades and formal ceremonies; though he could tell from here it was different. The handle was gilded, and bound in soft, black leather. The scabbard was a deep crimson, and had an inscription printed along it in gold lettering in Latin. Marcus knew a little Latin, having been taught by his father many years ago, and so could read it. It was an oath to protect the innocent. It seemed fitting as a tribute to one that as far as the world was aware had died in combat to allow the rest of humanity to evacuate into the dome.

Remembering his need for a weapon, Marcus looked around to ensure that he wasn't being watched, satisfying himself that the caretaker had gone back to his shed, likely on a break. He punched the glass, shattering it with ease, though felt enough resistance to know it was toughened. Were it not for his enhanced abilities, he would never have made it through the glass.

He picked up the sword, and stowed it under his long coat, before reaching in for the medal. He stopped as he was about to take it and thought for a second. Corinth loved and revered Marcus Truman. They had thanked him after his death for all he'd done for them and created this shrine in his memory. They deserved the memory of that man, not the abomination Venjix had turned him into. He left the medal, before turning and heading on his way.

Back at the site of the battle, water sprayed from the soaked pavement as Tenaya was thrown by an attack from Killobyte's sword, landing hard on the concrete. Ziggy immediately rushed over to her, standing between her and Killobyte. The General turned his attention to the others as Ziggy checked on her.

"Tenaya are you alright?" He asked her.

"I'm fine Ziggy, the suits protect us remember?" She asked him, getting back to her feet. She watched as Flynn and Summer were both sent crashing through a store front. She felt a little hesitation as she saw this. Killobyte was a powerful and dangerous enemy, utterly ruthless. He turned his attention back to her as he launched a blast, scattering Scott and the twins.

"I thought you were meant to be strong. The implants I gave you made you an ideal weapon Tenaya." He taunted her. "I don't remember programming you to be a coward."

She wanted to attack him, to silence his caustic words and to send him back to Venjix as scrap metal, but something inside her stopped her. Before she had been a fearless and ferocious warrior, but now she was hesitant and fearful.

Ziggy ran towards him, swinging his Turbo Axe in wide, clumsy arcs, his anger and fear for the welfare of his unborn child over-ruling any form of thought or sense. Killobyte just ducked several such attacks, before grabbing one, ripping the weapon from his hand and throwing it aside like a toy. He brought his sword down, smashing Ziggy to the ground.

"You pathetic clown, did you really think one as pitiful as you could stand against me?" He asked him.

Tenaya ran forward, firing several blasts from the Rocket Blaster. A couple scored hits, before he finally managed to deflect one straight back at her. As she hit the ground, she cradled her stomach protectively. Killobyte noticed this, thinking it was odd since the blast had connected high on her chest. He levelled his blaster rifle her way, firing several rounds. Tenaya activated her invincibility shield, holding it up as long as she could as it weakened, before finally fading. Ziggy threw himself on top of her, taking the remaining blasts.

"Over here!" Summer yelled, bringing out the Rail Sabre. She slipped two engine cells into it, powering it up.

"Summer, Dr. K hasn't tested that yet!" Flynn reminded her.

"Well out own weapons aren't having much luck, so now's as good a time as any!" She replied, pulling into a guard. "Come on Killobyte; are you scared of a girl?"

He scoffed as he rushed towards her with his sword drawn. Summer used all the training she could remember to defend herself, finally finding an opening and scoring a telling hit to his side. Killobyte staggered, clearly damaged by the blow.

Summer used all the rage within her to launch into a barrage of attacks as he staggered, finishing with a massive swing that sent him all the way across the street. Scott rushed to her side.

"That thing is incredible!" He commented. "Remind me to thank Dr. K later."

"I'm sure you'll find a way to do that." Summer replied knowingly, handing him the weapon. "Do you want to finish this off?"

Scott switched his Nitro Sword to its blaster mode, and combined it with the Rail Blaster. Levelling it at Killobyte, he watched the robot prepare for the blow. Scott fired it, being driven back by the unbelievable power of the new weapon. Killobyte too felt the raw power of the latest weapon as he was launched almost a hundred feet down the street.

Killobyte activated the download, realising that he needed more power to defeat the Rangers and grew to massive size, towering over the city. The Rangers all gathered, looking up at him.

"I guess it was too much to hope for he'd just pack up and go home." Flynn commented.

"Guys, we're going to Zords." Scott ordered them. "Prepare Ultrazord sequencing."

In another part of town, Marcus saw Killobyte over the buildings, but knew there was nothing he could do to assist the people. He was thankful as he saw the Ultrazord forming.

"What are you doing out there, are you crazy?" He heard someone screaming. He saw the owner of a nearby diner was waving frantically for him to take cover. Marcus swallowed his pride and rushed inside.

"Thanks, I'm quite a long way from home." Marcus told him as the owner locked the door and pulled over some shutters.

"It looks like the Rangers are busy again." The owner stated as he watched the battle through the gaps in the shutters. "It's just as well they managed to get a new Ranger Black."

"They got a new Ranger Black?" Marcus asked him as he surveyed the options on the menu. The owner turned towards him, seeing this and made his way over.

"Yeah, they changed over because that Dillon guy got sidelined for some reason." He told Marcus as he got behind the counter. "Some new girl took over in his place. No one knows what happened to the other guy. Some say he's been in the Ranger base and hasn't left in weeks."

This last piece of information interested Marcus slightly. If he was indeed injured badly enough to be sidelined, then he might not get a better opportunity to take him out.

"Could I have a cheese burger to go?" Marcus asked him, putting a couple of crumpled dollar bills on the counter. The owner of the diner went into the back to prepare his order. Marcus opened his coat, checking the sword and satisfying himself it was up to the task, before concealing it again. The owner of the Diner came back with his order, at which Marcus just snatched it and left, heading back to the Foundry for the rest of his equipment.

"Where are you going? The battle isn't, over it isn't safe!" He called after Marcus. He shook his head in disbelief. "People are in too much of a rush these days. Would it really have killed him to wait a few minutes until the battle was over?"

In the Garage, Dr. K was checking the computer screens, while Dillon was just lying on the bench, awaiting some word as to how the battle was going.

"Dr. K, you should have sent me instead of Tenaya." He reiterated for what seemed like the millionth time since she had left.

"Dillon, not even two days ago I had to perform surgery and make bone-deep incisions into nearly 60 percent of your body, including many through muscle tissue." She reminded him as she rolled her eyes. "You are in no condition to fight yet."

"I had that regenerative serum pumped into me by Venjix." He snapped back. "The incisions are closing..."

"Most of the incisions were through muscle, and while they are healing a lot faster than they should, and I am expecting a full recovery, you can't put undue strain on your system." She told him. "By all rights recovery from surgery of this kind would take years, if you recovered at all. You should consider yourself lucky."

Just then, Dr. K heard a noise from the main room of the Garage. Looking to the monitors, she saw that the Rangers were powering up the final attack, meaning that they were still at the site of the battle. She picked up her sound wave cannon, just to be on the safe side and made her way into the main room.

She looked around slowly, seeing no sign of an intruder. Just as she was about to write off the noise as her imagination, D46 leapt down from the balcony, his sword slicing through her cannon, rendering it useless. Dr. K staggered backwards, looking to the masked infiltrator in terror.

"I designed that sword." She told him. "Where did you get it?"

"I got it from the memorial." D46 answered her. "Where is D44? I heard he's still here."

"He's not." Dr. K replied. "I moved him to a secure location."

"You aren't much of a liar lady." D46 stated with authority, levelling the tip of the sword at her throat. "You know, you came out of that lab. If I remember rightly, that's where you keep a lot of your projects. Maybe I'll just check it out."

Dr. K realised that in his current predicament, Dillon would be helpless against the psychotic infiltrator. She reached under a work bench, grabbing an adjustable wrench, and rushed him, bringing it down across the back of Marcus' helmet. He spun around, catching her in the face with the hilt of his sword and made his way into the lab. He smiled beneath his mask as he saw Dillon strapped to the table.

"This almost makes it too easy." He greeted Dillon as he stepped into view. "Your sister and you have both been most elusive to me."

"If you're going to kill me go ahead and get it over with." Dillon snapped in response. "We're both victims, just like you."

"Don't you ever compare yourself to me!" Marcus snarled, kicking over a table, scattering equipment on the floor. "While you and your sister just marched onto that truck like obedient little sheep, I was the one who escaped!"

"I remember." Dillon responded. "You stopped by my pod in the factory in Omega City. You thought about releasing me, you wanted to I could see it in your eyes."

Marcus paused as he heard this. Was it possible he had actually remembered? Or was this just another of Venjix's tricks.

"The alarm sounded and more Grinders came after you. You had no choice but to run." Dillon reminded him. "I was released next, but I had to stay. My sister couldn't escape by herself."

"Your sister was...the blind girl?" D46 asked him, his grip on the sword loosening a little.

"I remember seeing you when you were brought into the camp." Dillon told him. "You were a pilot weren't you?"

"What does it matter what I was?" Marcus asked him, looking down at his arm and pulling back the sleeve, showing a multitude of scars. "This is what I am now. This...thing that Venjix turned me into!"

"You are who you choose to be." Dillon told him. "I wasn't programmed by Venjix. I only had my memories suppressed, but I wasn't programmed. I came to Corinth, and I helped others because I chose to do good."

"Your sister..."

"My sister was programmed, but she broke through it." He informed him. "When she was brought to us, she changed. She wanted to be a good person. Every time she's been asked to prove herself, she has done and more."

"Enough!" Marcus roared, tightening his grip on the sword again and levelling it at Dillon's heart. "You are a thing, not even human. You cannot be trusted!"

"I'm a victim just like you, but if you can't accept that, go ahead and kill me." Dillon implored him. "You might even kill Tenaya, but if you do you'll just be killing three innocent people."

"Three?" Marcus asked him.

"I'm in no condition to fight you. You'd be killing a helpless man." Dillon began. "And my sister is pregnant."

Marcus paused for a second as he considered this new information. Was it possible that he had been wrong all along? Had he indeed become as much of a monster as Venjix? Or was this all part of some grander scheme? A plan put in motion to begin the endgame to bring about the end of humanity.

There was a savage yell as the Red Ranger surged into the room, smashing D46 into the consoles on the wall. He brought the Street Sabre down repeatedly, pounding him into submission. Marcus remembered finding out that the Red Ranger was Scott, and had no will to fight him. All of this had been done to save the city of Corinth. He couldn't bring himself to fight his only brother.

"Are you only interested in fighting people that are helpless?" Scott asked him, throwing him across the room. "You don't want to face people who can fight back?"

As Marcus regained his feet, Scott recalled his helmet, his face twisting into a hateful glare as he saw that he was holding the sword that belonged on Marcus' memorial. He rushed forward, resuming his assault as Marcus just tried to defend himself without hurting him.

"That sword belongs to Marcus!" He roared. "You don't deserve to wield it you grave robbing son of a bitch!"

Marcus finally grabbed him, throwing him aside, before rushing from the Ranger's base, pushing past them as they tried to stop him and escaping into the city. Scott was about to follow, but Flynn stopped him.

"Let him go, we'll get your brother's sword back." He assured his leader. "Just let it go for now. Go and check on Dr. K, she took a fair bump on the head."

Scott relented, conceding that checking on the welfare of his girlfriend was more important than a sword, regardless of what it meant to him. He went to the Garage to help Summer check on the young woman's condition. Tenaya threw herself at her brother, hugging him tightly. She was relieved to know that her brother was alright, but it now created a new problem. It was obvious that D46 no longer considered them off-limits, and this had now been the second time he had broken into their base. She was sure that they had to find him first. The life of her baby depended on it.

Back at the Foundry, Marcus tended to his more serious wounds as he considered everything he had heard at the Garage. D44 now remembered everything that had happened to him. He had recounted many details that Marcus remembered himself. Was it possible that he was telling the truth? That they were indeed victims like him, merely wishing to destroy Venjix for the sake of the world?

Then his mind went back to what he had heard about D45. She was expecting a child. He had never given any thought to if that was even possible, never mind considering a family of his own. He had given up on his own life, accepting his fate as a mere thing, a machine acting towards a goal on a mission he had no intention of surviving.

He cast his mind back to when the implants were first put in, remembering the agonising ordeal. He could just remember hearing Killobyte saying something about a virus, one that would spread the technology through their bodies and complete the upgrade once activated. That was when he had the epiphany. What if that had been Venjix's plan all along?

The infiltrators were adults when they were given the implants. Perhaps the ultimate weapon Venjix was planning required something else, one that would grow with the technology; that would become the ultimate weapon right under the noses of the city. After all, who would suspect a mother to be the ultimate Trojan horse?

"I can't take the risk, even if Scott does end up putting me out of my misery." Marcus said to himself, picking up the sword and looking at it purposefully. "The child cannot live."

Back at Venjix's fortress, Killobyte limped into the room, severely damaged after the battle, finding Venjix waiting impatiently.

"You delivered the message?" Venjix asked him.

"I did my lord, though I did get a little...overexcited." Killobyte responded as his systems sparked. "There is one thing I thought was curious though."

"What would that be?" Venjix asked him.

"Tenaya did not seem to fight with her usual...fire." He remarked. "I've never known her to hold back from a fight before."

"You think she is scared of you?" Venjix asked him. Killobyte shook his head.

"No, I know I don't scare her. She's never been scared for herself before." He commented. "No, she was holding back, but I don't think it was herself she was protecting. The Green Ranger also took a lot of punishment to protect her."

Venjix went to a console and pulled up some scans of Tenaya's systems. Unknown to her, some of her implants still relayed details of her vitals and condition to Venjix. It was a system put in place so that Venjix could tell when she needed repairs. She didn't know that it still broadcast her physical data to him.

"It seems you are right Killobyte. She was not scared for herself." Venjix stated. "She is with child."

"I never thought I'd see the day an infiltrator would have a child." Killobyte commented. "Still, this does provide us with an interesting opportunity for some of my...experiments."

"You believe this can work in our favour?" Venjix asked him.

"Oh I'm quite sure." Killobyte replied. "I will need to study her of course."

"As long as it does not interfere with my ultimate plan, you may do as you wish." Venjix stated, leaving the room. "Do your experiments."

"Oh, you needn't worry; this will be the ultimate weapon." Killobyte replied. He turned back to the monitor. "It'll be the weapon that brings about MY ultimate victory."


	43. The Hybrids

Dr. K was working in the lab, checking over Dillon's injuries as Tenaya, Summer and Ziggy all looked on in interest. She checked that his vitals were stable as she inspected his incisions.

"Well your incisions are all but completely healed." Dr. K informed him, checking over them. "You may have one or two scars, but all the incisions have knitted, and the serum still seems to be working through your system, so most of them should heal completely."

"Are you sure everything's alright?" Summer asked her.

"If anything, I'd say he's about ready to get back into action." Dr. K informed her, beginning to unfasten the restraints. "I'd suggest you start out slowly. You haven't moved since you came back to us, so it might take a little while for your muscles to get used to moving around again."

Dillon pulled himself shakily to his feet, and took a few pained, cautious steps. Dr. K hadn't been exaggerating how strange it would feel getting used to moving about again after his procedure. He wasn't in a lot of pain, but his muscles definitely felt a little uncomfortable, and his movements were slightly awkward. Of course as she had reminded him, he didn't really have anything to complain about. By all rights after such extensive surgery, there was no way he should be up and around so soon.

"Unfortunately I doubt Venjix will wait very long before coming back." Dillon remarked as Summer came to his side, positioning herself under his arm to help support his weight. "I'll need to get to work if I'm going to be ready in time for the next attack."

"Maybe I should..."

"It's not going to happen Tenaya." Dillon interrupted his sister as he approached her. "You are not going to risk the baby. We said that last time was the LAST time, and we meant it."

"But..."

"No buts Tenaya." Dillon interrupted her a little more forcefully, reaching out his hand to her. Reluctantly, she unstrapped the Series Black morpher from her wrist, and handed it to him. Dillon in turn handed it to Dr. K. "You made some modifications to allow Tenaya to use this. I need you to undo those changes."

"I'll do it as soon as I can." Dr. K told him. Dillon then rounded on Ziggy.

"Ziggy, we need to talk." He told him. "Could the rest of you give us a minute please?"

"Anything you have to say to him, you can say to me." Tenaya stated defensively. "I'm not..."

"I won't do anything, I promise." Dillon assured her, looking to Summer to reassure her. "I just want to talk through some things with Ziggy."

Summer nodded in understanding, before putting her arm around Tenaya and leading her away. Dillon could see that Tenaya still wasn't keen on the idea of leaving him alone with Ziggy, but Summer was quietly reassuring her that he wouldn't do anything to harm him.

Ziggy took a seat with Dillon and breathed a small sigh.

"I guess this is where we have the big talk." He surmised. "Dillon..."

"Ziggy, just let me talk, there's something I need to say." He interrupted the Green Ranger. "You know I've never really been that cool with the idea of you and Tenaya together."

"Dillon..."

"The thing is, I know you make her happy." He continued before Ziggy could say anything. "I'm not going to lie to you. When I heard what had happened, you know, about the baby, all I wanted to do was hurt you. I thought you'd taken advantage of her."

"Dillon, that's something I'd never do." Ziggy assured him softly as he thought about her. "I will admit that I was in a bit of a bad place when it happened. I didn't know if dad was going to make it, but I never took advantage."

He looked to the Black Ranger, trying to gauge his reaction. He was trying to see if he was likely to lose his temper, but so far he seemed to be holding it together.

"I'll be the first to admit that we went a lot further than we intended to, and that we didn't think ahead and use protection but we both wanted to take that step." Ziggy told him. He could see that Dillon didn't exactly want to hear this, but he needed to in order to understand. "Dillon, I'm crazy about her, and I'd do anything for her. Things might not have gone how we planned, but I don't regret any of it."

"Ziggy, what you did, ending the gang war, it showed me a lot about the kind of man you are." He told him. "You've shown me how far you're willing to go to protect Tenaya and the baby. I'm still not really cool with the way everything went down, but I just wanted you to know that I'm OK with the two of you being together."

"You are?" Ziggy asked him. Dillon just nodded.

"Well I have to admit that I wouldn't have been happy about seeing anyone get that close to my sister. It's just part of who I am I guess." He conceded. "But I guess I knew she'd end up with someone one day, and I know that you'll do anything it takes to keep her safe and make her happy."

"Thanks Dillon." Ziggy replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "That means a lot." Dillon just looked down at Ziggy's hand, and back to him.

"Too much." He commented, gently lifting his hand off. Ziggy took the warning in good humour, conceding that at least now Dillon seemed to accept his connection to Tenaya, even if he didn't like it much.

In the hospital, Hicks was being processed for his discharge, when Gemma arrived in the room, carrying a large, hand-drawn card and a few flowers she had picked up from the gift shop. Hicks smiled as he saw her.

"Hey there, how are you feeling?" She greeted him as she came to the side of the bed. The doctor finished checking over him. Hicks pulled himself from the bed, cradling his ribs as she came over to him.

"I'll live." He told her with a small laugh. "It's been a while, but it isn't the worst beating I've ever taken."

"Here, I made you this." She told him, handing him the card. Hicks looked down on it smiling. It was one of her usual creations, covered in rainbows, flowers and unicorns. It made him feel a little conflicted as he thought about how much effort she had to have put into it. She had come to find him after he failed to show up at his apartment to meet with him. He knew how she felt about him, and he knew that it was those feelings that had caused her to come to the hideout alone when she didn't know what had happened. He knew it was part of the plan, but that didn't stop him feeling guilty.

"Gemma, I want to thank you for coming after me." He told her in a sigh.

"Hey, it's no problem." Gemma told him. "We're friends; of course I was worried about you..."

"Gemma, I need to tell you something." He said as the doctor left the room to process his discharge forms. He gestured for her to sit down and closed the door for some privacy. "You've done a lot for me. You've really looked out for this, so it wouldn't be right for me to lie to you."

"Lie to me?" She asked him. "What did you lie about?"

"I was a part of Ziggy's plan." He told her. "I knew all about what he and D46 were doing. I went to Ronan's hideout as part of that plan."

He sat down with her as she looked on in confusion. His chest felt tight and uncomfortable as he thought about what he had done. Gemma had looked out for him so much since he had gone on psych leave that he just didn't feel right about what he had done.

"Ziggy needed Ronan to find out about the deal going down between him and the Blue Crew. He also needed him to know about the connection between Ziggy and the orphanage." Hicks told her. "We knew he wouldn't buy it if I just showed up and offered him that information, so I went around there to get captured."

"You got captured on purpose?" Gemma asked him, looking at his injuries. "But, look at what he did to you. Why would you put yourself through that?"

"I did it so that Ziggy's plan would succeed." Hicks told her. "He split up all the cartels and sent them all over the city into ambushes. I knew they needed a good reason to break cover, so I let them capture me to make them think they beat the information out of me."

"You could have been killed!" Gemma yelled at him. He noticed the look on her face slipping slightly as the final piece of the puzzle slipped into place and she figured out why he felt guilty. "You knew you had arranged to meet me at your apartment. You knew I'd be worried when you didn't show up. You knew I'd come looking for you!"

"Gemma..."

"You used me!" She interrupted him sharply, turning away from him. "When you didn't show up, I waited at your apartment for an hour. When you still didn't show, I put a trace on your cell phone."

"Gemma, I'm sorry but it was the only way." He said softly as he put his hand on her shoulder. "I couldn't tell you what I was doing. I knew you'd never let me go through with it. It was the only way."

"You know how I feel about you." She whispered as she swept his hand off her shoulder. "You used me."

"Gemma I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you." He said apologetically. Gemma turned to face him, a tear running down her face as she looked at him.

"I trusted you." She whispered, before getting up and storming from the room. Hicks could only watch her go. He knew that he had hurt her deeply. Gemma had made her feelings for him perfectly clear. He felt horrible about the fact he had manipulated her, using those feelings to arrange his rescue from Ronan's grasp. He knew that they needed to end the gang war, and Ziggy's plan seemed to be the best way to accomplish that quickly. Now though, feeling how much he had hurt the woman who had looked out for him, he was beginning to wonder if the price was too high.

Dillon and Ziggy came into the main room of the Garage, finding the others gathered there. Tenaya and Summer both looked a little worried about what they might have been talking about, but Dillon smiled at them, letting them know that they were both alright.

"Ziggy and I managed to talk." He told them. "We reached an understanding."

Tenaya rushed over, hugging her brother and her boyfriend tightly, relieved that they had managed to get through this. She knew her brother still had problems seeing her as anything other than the girl he used to have to guide and protect for much of her life.

"There's also something else." He announced. "Since I was hit by the key, there was a huge shock to my system, and I think it did something to a lot of the stuff in my brain. It jarred a lot loose. I remember everything."

"You remember what happened to you and Tenaya?" Flynn asked him. "You remember the procedure?"

"No, it's more than that." Dillon told him. "I remember it all. My life before the attacks, my mom, being captured."

He turned to Summer and gave her a little smile. "The first girl I ever kissed. I remember all of it."

"Dillon, that's great news." Scott stated, only for Dillon to hold up a hand.

"I also remember D46 escaping." He told him. "I know exactly what he went through, but he wasn't given the same conditioning as Tenaya and myself. He never healed as much as we did from the procedure. I think I can understand why he hates us so much."

"Dillon, what are you trying to say?" Tenaya asked him.

"I remember what we went through, what was done to us." Dillon explained. "I know he tried to kill me, and he's threatened you, but I don't think it's his fault. If we hadn't undergone the conditioning we did, I can't imagine what it would have done to our minds."

"Dillon..."

"We were conscious throughout the whole thing!" Dillon cut off his sister. "Venjix and Killobyte needed to be sure what the procedure was doing to our systems, so they pumped us full of drugs that kept us conscious throughout the whole procedure. Our minds blocked it out, but I can remember feeling every incision."

"Oh my God!" Summer gasped, holding Tenaya's hand as she tried to imagine what it could have been like for them to go through that. "If D46 escaped before the mental conditioning, there's no telling what it would have done to his mind."

"He's a victim just like us." Dillon told them. "I know he's dangerous, but we can't just destroy him. We have to try and help him."

"Dillon, are you insane?" Ziggy asked him. "He tried to kill you while you were strapped to a bed. He would have murdered you in cold blood if Scott hadn't arrived."

"He had plenty of time to do it and he didn't." Dillon reminded him. "He had a full five minutes to decide which of my organs he wanted to shish kebab and he didn't. That was four minutes and fifty nine seconds longer than he needed."

"So you want to stick your neck out for him because he DIDN'T kill you?" Tenaya asked him.

"In a word, yes." Dillon answered her. "I talked to him. I told him about a lot of the stuff I remembered, and it seemed to get through to him. I think he isn't beyond saving. I think we can bring him back."

"You seem to forget, I worked with him during the gang war." Ziggy reminded him. "You didn't see what he did to those guys he was fighting. He's a psycho!"

"So was I." Dillon put down flatly. "He looked after those people out in the wastes, and he fought to secure this city. There's obviously still good in him."

"If you're sure about this, then I trust your judgement." Summer told him. "I'm not keen on the idea. He's obviously unbalanced, but this is obviously important to you."

"I'm not convinced." Scott stated bluntly. "This guy's already broken in there twice. He's hurt Dr. K both times; he obviously places no value on the lives of others."

"Would you if you had to survive in the wastes for all that time?" Dillon asked him. "I'm not saying we don't have to be careful."

"Well I guess helping people is part of the whole superhero thing." Flynn replied with a shrug.

"Some people say Gemma and I are a little crazy." Gem added. "We have to try I guess."

Ziggy looked around the room, seeing the others looking at him expectantly. He held Tenaya closely, and could tell from the tightness of her grip that she was terrified about the prospect of trying to bring D46 to the Garage.

"I will never put my baby at risk." Ziggy put down abruptly as he finally relented to the others. "Help him if you want, but I swear that if he lays one hand on Tenaya, if he even looks at her sideways, then I don't care how messed up he is."

"Tenaya's my family too. I want to help him, but I'm not prepared to risk her to do it." Dillon assured him. "If he goes after her, then I'll kill him myself, you have my word on that."

"So I guess the next question is how do we find him?" Flynn asked.

"I have a feeling that won't be too hard." Dillon replied, gathering his jacket. "He seems to have a vendetta. I have a feeling he'll find me."

Meanwhile, over at Venjix's palace, Killobyte was busy preparing a legion of Grinders for an assault on the city. Ever since he had found out about Tenaya's pregnancy, he had been curious as to what the potential was for his experiments. He had always wondered how powerful a hybrid implanted with the highest grade of Venjix technology could be, but he had never had the opportunity to find out. Any subjects he had tried the procedure on had died only a few hours into the procedure, the trauma far too great for their fragile, human bodies even with his medical expertise.

Of course he had another idea. By combining the new technology with the virus, spreading the technology through their bodies gradually, then they would be more likely to survive and become full hybrids. Of course, to give the subject the maximum chance of survival, he needed an immature test subject, one that would grow with the technology in its body, integrating it seamlessly into its makeup. That was where the baby came in.

"What are you doing Killobyte?" Crunch asked as he came into the room. "What are all these Grinders for? There have to be hundreds of them!"

"There are two thousand to be exact." Killobyte informed him in a dismissive tone as he prepared his weapons. "I need a distraction while I perform a vital mission for Master Venjix."

"Venjix didn't say anything about any mission." Crunch replied abruptly. "Perhaps..."

"Thinking isn't really your strong point is it Crunch?" Killobyte asked him. "Venjix knows the potential of Tenaya's child. That is why I was instructed to go into the city and take it."

"But the child has not yet been born." Crunch reminded him. "The child will not be born for many months."

"You let me worry about that." Killobyte said in a casual drawl. "Now, if you really want to help, you could always come with us. I'm sure anything which delays the Rangers returning to their base would help me in bringing mommy to her new maternity ward."

As Crunch left, followed by the legion of Grinders, Killobyte took the lead. He looked forward to the battle ahead. Not only did it give him the subject he needed for his sick experiments, it would also give him the chance to punish Tenaya and make her pay for spurning the gift he had given her. She had been a weak, pathetic human when she had crossed his path before, and he had turned her into so much more. Now it was time for her to repay him.


	44. Collecting the Target

Gemma came into the Garage, finding the Rangers gearing up for their mission ahead. Scott was talking to Dr. K, making sure the plan was put together correctly. They had all faced D46 before, and they knew that he was both unstable and dangerous. Since he was a hybrid, he was far stronger than a human, easily on a level comparable to Dillon and Tenaya. The difference was that while they had enjoyed periods of relative peace, he had been forced to fight for his survival on a daily basis since he had escaped from Venjix's clutches. The fact that D46 also seemed focused on trying to kill Tenaya and Dillon also meant he was pretty tempting baits.

"Are you alright?" Gem asked her, seeing that she wasn't her usual cheerful self. She was still hurt about the fact Hicks had manipulated her feelings for him as part of Ziggy's plan. She wasn't upset about him wanting her to save him, it only hurt that he had gone off on his own, gotten deliberately captured knowing that she would worry and come looking for him. He knew how she felt about him, and had used that love to bring her to the warehouse. She just nodded.

"What's going on?" She asked, gesturing to the others as they all geared up for action.

"Dillon wants us to go and find D46." He informed her.

"I guess that's understandable." She replied. "So boom time?"

"He wants us to capture him and bring him back here." Gem stated, shaking his head. Gemma frowned a little.

"But he tried to kill him the other day." She reminded him as she gestured to where Summer, Tenaya and Ziggy were all talking to Dillon while he strapped on a harness carrying some special equipment Dr. K had designed for this assignment. Dillon was the obvious choice to go after him. Given the implants, he was almost as strong as D46, though despite his injuries, his morpher would likely tip the balance if things got too hot to handle. "He's not staying away from Dillon and Tenaya anymore!"

"That's exactly why he wants to stop him now." Gem explained. "He told us he remembers what happened to them. He wants to help D46 get over what happened to him."

"What do you really think the others are talking to him about?" Gemma asked him.

"No doubt they're still trying to convince him that it would be safer to just take him out." Gem replied. "He seems to be determined though. He has that look in his eye. He promised to take him out if he doesn't have a choice, but he still seems pretty intent on this idea of bringing him in."

"Alright guys, let's gather around." Scott announced, gesturing them all into the centre of the room. "We don't know much about this guy. We don't know where he's staying, and we only have a few ideas of where he's been, largely as a result of what he's stolen."

"He's broken in here twice." Flynn reminded them. "One or two of us should probably stay here in case..."

"No, we'll need all of us out in the field searching for him." Dillon interrupted him. "He moves as quickly as Tenaya and myself, and there is a lot of ground to cover. Not to mention he has plenty of experience with stealth and guerrilla warfare. If he doesn't want to be found, then it's going to be pretty hard to trace him."

"I've already prepared the lockdown sequence on the lab for when you leave." Dr. K told them. "When I activate it, the blast shields will keep the lab secure. He'd need a blast strong enough to bring down the whole dome to get in there. As soon as you leave, I'll put the lab on lockdown. We'll contact you immediately if he comes here. Tenaya and I will be safe."

"He'll need somewhere to stay, so start with searches of abandoned buildings." Scott instructed them. "Everybody fan out and cover the city. If you find him, contact us immediately and converge on his position."

"I'll patrol the city centre park." Dillon told them. "He's been there at least once that we know of, and there are plenty of places he can get food nearby."

"He went to the park?" Summer asked them.

"He stole Marcus' sword." Scott replied coldly. Dr. K stroked his shoulders in a slightly awkward attempt to comfort him. It had upset him that he had taken the sword that she had made to honour Marcus. It was the closest anyone could come to desecrating his grave. Scott had gone more than a little berserk after seeing the sword in his hands.

"Dillon is carrying some equipment that should help to capture him." Dr. K told them. "I've upgraded a stun blaster to a level that should stun him. He is also carrying restraints that should be able to hold him."

"If you find him, try and flush him towards me." Dillon told them. "Let me know as soon as you see him and I'll try to come to you."

"Nobody take any chances with this guy. He's already proven to be extremely dangerous, and he has fought some of us to a standstill before." Scott ordered them. "The mission is a hunt and capture, but I don't want anyone getting killed with this. The primary concern is the safety of the team. Try to capture him, but if anyone's in danger, then stop him first, and then worry if he'll survive. Does everyone understand that?"

They all nodded solemnly as he looked around them all in turn. He finally came to Dillon.

"I really hope you know what you're doing with this." Scott told him. "Right, everyone fan out and search the city."

With that, they all split off to head off in their search. Gem and Summer raced off on motorcycles, heading for the furthest reached of the city, while Gemma fired up the Go-Onger, following them out. Scott was next to leave in his racer, while Flynn and Ziggy took the Hummer towards the ruins of Spike Mike's territory.

Dillon came over to Tenaya, stroking her cheek and smiling as he saw the worried look on her face.

"I'll come back, I promise." He said as reassuringly as he could. "Get into the lab and try to stay safe."

"Take care." She whispered as he left. Dr. K led her back to the lab and activated the shutdown sequence. Dillon stayed for a second to ensure the lab was secure, before getting into the Fury and speeding out of the Garage towards the city centre park. He had no idea where D46 was, or even if he was capable of bringing him in. All he knew was that he had to try.

Killobyte and Crunch arrived a little outside the dome with the legion of Grinders they had brought with them. They already knew that the military would probably have picked up their movements by now, but that was largely his plan. He needed to draw attention while he completed his part of the plan.

"Open the doors if you would be so kind." Killobyte instructed Crunch. He cackled excitedly as he fired a blast from his weapon which buckled the gates ahead of them. Grinders started to move forward, firing shots as soldiers took cover by the breach.

"I'll just make the gate a little bigger!" Crunch screeched as he came into view. The soldiers all ran as he fired another blast, tearing the gate off completely.

"Have some fun and keep the Rangers busy." Killobyte instructed him. "I'll take care of Tenaya."

Crunch and the Grinders started pouring into the city, engaging the guard post just inside the gate while Killobyte went in search of another entrance. He stopped by a water inlet and started to lower himself into it. Soon he would have his prize.

Dillon parked his car near the park as he started to look around. He didn't even know where to begin his search, but he knew that this was one of the few places he could confirm that he had been. Making his way towards the memorial, he could see the crime scene tape that had been strung around the memorial he had stolen the sword from.

He considered it somewhat curious that D46 would risk attracting attention to himself by stealing something so conspicuous. If he wanted a weapon, he could have gone pretty much anywhere to get one. There were plenty of stores he could have broken into. With his strength, even a simple tool like a hammer or axe would serve the purpose admirably, so why would he steal the sword?

He considered what he knew about this event. He knew that he had to have stolen the sword within the last day. Colonel Truman had told them that the vandalism to the memorial had only been reported within an hour of D46 showing up at the Garage with the sword. He thought about who might have been there and seen something amiss.

Fortunately he knew from Vasquez's report that the city's climate control had been set to torrential rain, and so he could rule out most of the kids and the public that were hanging around.

There were a few hot dog stands and donut carts there, selling their wares to the people enjoying the fine weather. Of course as soon as the heavy rain started, everyone would have gone home, including the fast food vendors. He could rule them out too.

That was when he noticed a caretaker, wandering around the grounds, sweeping the path. He realised that the park was always maintained and continually cleaned. The caretaker would likely be the only person who didn't go home as soon as the rain started.

He crossed over to him, tapping him on the shoulder to rouse his attention. He looked up, seeing Dillon, before going back to his work.

"Can I help you?" He asked as he carried on sweeping.

"Were you working here last night?" He asked the older man.

"I was." He replied.

"Did you see anyone hanging around the memorial?" Dillon asked him, walking along behind the old man, slightly impressed by his surprisingly quick pace.

"I did see someone there a little before I found the glass broken." He recalled, continuing to try and ignore Dillon. Becoming frustrated with the fact he didn't seem to be paying attention, Dillon grabbed the broom, ripping it from the old man's grip. "Hey!"

"I'm trying to ask you something important!" Dillon snapped at him, stopping him from going to retrieve the broom. "You said you saw someone before."

"Yes, I did." He said, with an annoyed look on his face. He was clearly a little impatient to get back to work and finish his assigned tasks.

"Can you describe him?" Dillon asked, ignoring his indignation. The old man thought about it for a moment.

"He had dark skin, and he looked like he hadn't shaved in a while." He told him, remembering the odd man he had met the night before. "He looked like he was normally clean shaven and shaved his head, but it had grown out a little bit. His clothes were all a little messy. He looked like he was homeless or something."

"Was there anything strange about him?" Dillon asked him. "Did you notice anything amiss about him? Did he have scars, tattoos, anything like that?"

"Well he did seem a little big for a homeless guy; I figured he hadn't been on the streets that long." He said with a shrug. He paused as he recalled something else. "He was wearing dog tags."

"Dog tags?" Dillon asked him.

"Yeah, I didn't get a good look at them, but I used to serve with the infantry before I reached retirement age. I know dog tags when I see them." He commented, shaking his head sadly. "So much for the politicians taking care of our vets."

"So he served in the military." Dillon asked him.

"That's what I said isn't it?" The caretaker asked in response. "So can I please get back to work?"

"I think that would be a good idea." He heard a deep voice behind him say coldly. Dillon handed the caretaker back the broom and turned around, finding D46 standing before him, his face covered by his mask, and holding the sword.

"I'm not here to fight you." Dillon told him as the citizens took the opportunity to flee the park.

"You shouldn't have come at all." D46 warned him.

"You could have killed me the other day and you didn't." Dillon reminded him. "You know that what I said makes sense."

"My life ended long ago when Venjix infected me." D46 stated. Dillon shook his head.

"It only ends if you let it." He replied. "I know its hard coming to terms with what happened, but you don't need to be a victim. Even if you haven't got the life you had before, you can start another one."

"You don't know what it's like." D46 said in a voice, uncharacteristically soft for his usual nature. "I've seen my family. They've moved on, it's better this way. They've learned to live without me."

"I know I'd love to have my mom back." Dillon told him. "Everyone's lost family to this war. Why would you want your family to go on thinking you're dead?"

Marcus looked to the memorial in his name and felt his grip on the sword loosen a little. He didn't want to be the monster he had become. His mind strayed to his family, to the brother and father he knew were still alive. Dillon approached him slowly.

"Come with me and I'll make sure you get help." He told him sincerely. "I'll bring you back to your family."

D46 felt his hand on his shoulder and swung around, swiping the sword in his direction with a scream. Dillon reacted just in time, pulling back far enough that the tip only inflicted a superficial cut across his chest, though cutting the harness carrying his stun blaster and restraints. It fell to the ground, where D46 kicked it into some nearby bushes, out of reach.

"It's too late!" He yelled as he rounded on Dillon, pulling into a guard.

"I didn't want to hurt you, but it looks like I don't have a choice." Dillon replied. Just then, his communications link sprang to life.

"Dillon, break off the search. Crunch has come into the city with an army of Grinders." Dr. K informed him. "I'm downloading the co-ordinates; the others are already on the way."

"Sorry Dr. K, but I'm a little busy here." Dillon told her. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

With that, he cut the communications link and prepared for battle.

Dr. K screamed at the screen as Dillon defied her orders, but quickly realised that he had turned off the communicator. She turned back to Tenaya.

"Your brother..."

"Dillon knows what he's doing." Tenaya assured her. "He'd never leave the guys in the lurch."

"There are two thousand Grinders!" Dr. K reminded her. "Crunch is attacking the city as we speak."

"He said he was busy. He's probably found D46." Tenaya told her as she put her arm around the young doctor. "I'm scared too, but Dillon would never leave them to face those odds if he wasn't sure they could handle it."

Just then, Dr. K heard an alarm, informing her that the perimeter of the Garage had been breached. She turned the monitors to the security cameras in the main Garage.

"It's Killobyte." Tenaya told her. "How could he get in here?"

"He must have found a way to scramble his signal and stop me from tracking him." Dr. K answered.

"What could he possibly want here?" Tenaya asked her.

"I don't know about you, but I could really live without finding out." Dr. K replied honestly.

Back at the park, Dillon and Marcus fought back and forth, tearing up the park as they went. D46 crashed through a bench as Dillon side-stepped him, flipping him over as he struggled to regain his breath. D46 got back to his feet, snatching up his sword again.

Dillon saw something in the bushes nearby and realised it had to be the harness. He looked to D46 once more.

Marcus rushed forward, swinging wildly, at which Dillon managed to duck underneath the blow and throw himself into the bushes. Snatching up the blaster, he fired, hitting Marcus in the head and blowing his helmet into several pieces. Marcus stirred, injured, though still conscious. Taking the opportunity, Dillon snatched his hands behind his back, locking the restraints into place. Marcus struggled as Dillon loaded him into The Fury, but it was pointless. The restraints held him fast.

"Dr. K, I have D46, I'm bringing him in." Dillon told her over the communicator. Dr. K was busy on the computer, using the defence cannons in the Garage in an attempt to keep Killobyte at bay. Tenaya got onto the communicator.

"Dillon, Killobyte's here!" She snapped as she turned her hand to its blaster function, preparing to defend herself in case he somehow managed to breach the lab. "Please hurry!"

"Tenaya!" Ziggy yelled as he heard this. The Rangers were still locked in a brutal battle with Crunch.

"Dillon, we'll hold out here as long as we can!" Scott ordered him as the Paleomax Megazord took a hard hit. "Go and help them."

Dillon got into The Fury and gunned the engine, tearing up the street as he raced to help his sister.

Back at the Garage, Killobyte took down the last of the cannons with his rifle before turning his attention to the door to the lab.

"There's no point trying to force your way in here." Dr. K told him over the intercom. "The doors are impenetrable to the ordinance you carry."

"Who said anything about trying to force my way in?" He asked her in a casual tone as he ripped the key pad off the wall. He activated a probe in his finger, sticking it into the circuitry and activating the lock. "You seem to forget, Master Venjix had access to most of the Alphabet Soup files when he was released, including your blueprints for the security system to this place."

Tenaya rushed forward, firing a couple of shots at him. Killobyte switched the setting on his blaster and fired the shot. Tenaya found herself being taken to the ground, uninjured, but bound tightly by glowing energy bands, binding her hands and her feet. Her hand blaster reverted back to hand mode, and she found herself unable to over ride it. She was completely helplessly bound on the floor.

Dr. K broke cover, firing rounds from her sound wave cannon, scoring a few hits. Killobyte fired off a blast, destroying the sonic weapon as he regained some composure. He approached Dr. K menacingly, grabbing her by the jacket and lifting her from the ground with one hand.

"Let her go, it's me you want!" Tenaya screamed from the floor as she saw him looking at Dr. K thoughtfully. He satisfied himself by throwing her across the room. Dr. K lay on the floor, writhing in agony.

"Well you are partly right, you are the one I plan to take." He informed Tenaya, crossing over to her. Grabbing her head, he lifted her into a sitting position and placed a hand on her stomach. "Of course it isn't you I want."

"No!" She screamed as she realised what he meant. She knew that Venjix considered her a traitor, and that his henchmen had all been instructed to treat her as an enemy but she was sure they only wanted to destroy her.

"I'm afraid so. The way I see it, we created you, therefore this little one is ours." He told her. "Once the little one is born, I'll have fun seeing how he responds to my latest experiments. I have become somewhat creative lately."

With that, he picked her up, and made his way out of the Garage. Tenaya couldn't do anything to stop him as he took her from the Garage. The only thing worse than knowing she was once again going to be a prisoner in Venjix's clutches, was the thought of what awaited her child.


	45. Marcus' Return

Dillon ignored every traffic signal and every speed limit as he raced towards the Garage, hoping that he could get there before Killobyte could breach the lab's security. Although he knew how powerful Venjix's most trusted lieutenant was, he was also well aware of how cruel and pitiless he could be. He, Tenaya, and his unwilling passenger D46 were all living proof of that much. He couldn't possibly stand back and let him do anything to Tenaya, even if he couldn't defeat him alone.

He skidded to a halt in the main Garage, finding the floor littered with the shattered pieces of the defence cannons Killobyte had destroyed as he broke in. Leaving D46 restrained in his car, Dillon threw himself out of the car, morphing as he went. He rushed into the lab, and looked around.

"Tenaya!" He shouted, looking for any sign of his sister. "Dr. K, Tenaya!"

"She's not here." Dr. K told him as she dragged herself painfully from some wreckage where Killobyte had thrown her during her futile effort to stop him getting his hands on Tenaya. "Killobyte took her. The attack on the city was just a distraction. He was always after her."

"He took her?" Dillon asked as he helped her out of the wreckage. "Why? Where?"

"I didn't hear everything, but he said something about the baby." Dr. K told him. "He wants it to experiment on."

"We have to find him!" Dillon roared as he started to leave.

"Dillon wait!" She called out, causing him to turn back. She activated a screen, showing a map of the city, with a blinking red dot, heading towards the edge of it. "After what happened to you, after Venjix took you and turned you into Ragnarock, Tenaya and I were both scared that Venjix might come after her, so I implanted a tracking device in her systems. She's used a mental command to activate it when she realised she couldn't stop him taking her."

She handed him a hand-held monitor, displaying the same map, tracking her movements.

"Good girl Tenaya." He said with a smile as he prepared to leave. He rushed into the Garage, throwing D46 out of The Fury and onto the floor as he got in. Just then, his communicator burst into life again.

"Dillon, we're taking a beating here!" Scott barked aggressively as his Zord took another hit.

"We've used all our strongest weapons!" Gem added as the Skyrev Megazord was blasted out of the sky. "We need more power."

He paused for a second, looking between his morpher and the monitor completely at a loss as to what to do. He wanted to go after Killobyte and get his sister back, but on the other hand, he knew the others needed him, and had been fighting for some time without his power, and so without the full strength of their arsenal.

"Dillon, we can't take much more of this!" He heard Summer screaming. "Please, help us!"

Dillon considered his options and made the hardest decision of his life. His friends and the woman he loved, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with were in grave danger, about to be destroyed. As much as he wanted to save Tenaya, he knew that if Killobyte wanted the baby, then for the time being at least she was safe, and without the others, the city would fall. Their struggles, all the fighting would have been for nothing. Any attempt he made to save Tenaya would mean nothing if Venjix won, leaving them as the only living humans on earth.

"Dr. K, take D46 into the lab and keep him there. Continue to track Tenaya's signal." Dillon ordered her as he morphed and ran from the building. "I'm going after the others."

He sped from the Garage, leaving Dr. K with D46. She came over to him, helping him to his feet. She recoiled in shock as she saw his face uncovered for the first time.

"It's you!" She gasped, stepping away from him a little. Marcus looked at her a little curiously. "Marcus?"

She had been in love with Scott for a long time, and in recent months, they had become considerably closer. She had heard him talk about Marcus fondly many times, and had even seen his picture a few times in Scott's possessions. She knew how close they had been, and of Scott's admiration for him. She could also remember there had been a time when Scott was convinced there was a chance Marcus had survived the Battle of Corinth.

"You know who I am?" He asked her. Dr. K reached forward, taking his dog tags in her hand looking at the name stamped into them and smiled.

Over at the site of the battle, the High Octane Megazord took another hit from Crunch, splitting into its component Zords. The Paleomax Megazord attempted to launch a surprise attack, but was quickly countered and taken down too.

"It looks like we won't need this special project of Killobyte's." Crunch screeched in childish glee as he started kicking around the grounded Zords. "It looks like I'll get to win the war for my master all by myself!"

"Think again Crunch!" Dillon yelled as his Zord arrived, staggering the General with a few blasts. "Sorry I'm late guys."

"I always say it's better late than never." Ziggy responded as they brought out the Croc Carrier.

"Let's finish this as quickly as possible." Dillon stated. "Sequence the Ultrazord!"

"I like the way you think." Scott stated as they all punched in the appropriate codes. Crunch watched as all the RPM Zords formed into one, standing before him.

"Let's see how the Road Attack Zord fairs!" Scott called out, unleashing it. Crunch was taken down hard by its burnout attack, staggering him long enough for them to power up its final attack. Crunch screamed loudly as he fell to the ground, engulfed in a massive explosion that rocked the entire dome.

Crunch knew that most of his power was gone, and that his time was short if he didn't flee. He was back at his normal size, and had enough sense to realise that he was helpless if they pursued him. As the Rangers recalled their Zords, Scott was about to go after him when Dillon grabbed him.

"Scott, we don't have time to deal with Crunch now." He told him.

"We can't let him get away." Scott responded. "This might be the best chance..."

"This was all a distraction. Killobyte attacked the Garage." He interrupted the Red Ranger. He looked sadly to Summer and Ziggy. "He has Tenaya. He took her to Venjix's palace."

"We have to go after him." Ziggy pleaded with Scott. He considered his options for a moment as he watched Crunch running from the area. While he was right, that this was the best opportunity for eliminating another of Venjix's generals, he had to concede that they were right. They couldn't leave Tenaya in his clutches.

"Alright, let's get back to the Garage and talk to Dr. K." Scott ordered them. "If we are going to kick in Venjix's front door, then we should get an idea what we're up against."

Over at Venjix's fortress, Killobyte brought Tenaya into his laboratory, sealing the door behind him remotely. He dumped her on the floor, leaving her helpless as he prepared the room. She recognised the chair from her old regeneration chamber, but it had been significantly modified. Most of the surgical tools had been removed, replaced instead with more sensors for tracking the condition of the one fastened into the chair, which she knew would pretty soon be her.

"What are you planning to do to me?" She asked him, looking in terror at the chair. She could remember the isolation and hopelessness of that infernal contraption. Killobyte started working on his computers, turning on monitors and getting ready for the first stage of his experiments.

"I told you before; it's not you I'm interested in." Killobyte reminded her as a couple of Grinders came into the room. "Just so you know it's pointless to struggle. I've modified their weapons. It'll put a charge through your nervous system. It won't be lethal, and it won't hurt the baby, but it'll definitely be...unpleasant."

Tenaya didn't doubt what he was saying. She knew that he was serious about his intention to experiment on the baby, and that he would consider the loss of any experimental material unacceptable. He waved a hand in her direction, releasing her from her energy bonds.

"Take off your clothes." He instructed her, throwing her a robe. "Put this on instead."

Tenaya did as she was instructed, opting not to take any chances. She looked around, trying to find some way out that wouldn't risk the Grinders or Killobyte being able to harm her, but couldn't see one. Looking at the Grinders, she could see the modifications he had made. Instead of hands, they had blasters of a design she couldn't recognise, obviously the new weapons he had warned her about. She also noticed that they had an additional part bolted directly into their heads.

"Those things on their heads, what do they do?" She asked him as she finished changing. Killobyte just laughed.

"You do ask a lot of questions for one in your position." He commented, opening the restraints on the chair. "You don't want to keep me waiting do you?"

Tenaya considered trying to fight her way out, but she didn't want to risk anything. It was possible, though unlikely that she could take down both the Grinders, but not Killobyte too. She could see the rifle still strapped to his belt. If he didn't simply recapture her, then he would probably destroy her. As much as he wanted to experiment on the baby, she knew he would never accept losing. He was spiteful enough to elect to destroy a test subject in preference to losing it. She dutifully climbed into the chair.

"Don't think I forgot about that hand of yours." He told her, presenting a strong metal box to her. Tenaya sighed and detached her hand, placing it in the box, at which Killobyte locked it closed. The material had been designed to block the control signal from her to the hand, meaning that inside the box it was useless to her. She lay back on the chair, at which point he started to lock restraints in place, holding her fast.

"I'm really looking forward to beginning these procedures." Killobyte informed her as he hit some buttons on his computer. Tenaya could feel some of the sensors attaching to her body, while some were inserted directly into her through her flesh. She grimaced in pain as the procedure took place. "I've never had the opportunity to deal with a developing life form before. It'll be fascinating to see it grow and take shape. I imagine this is what being a parent must be like."

"You couldn't imagine what it feels like to be a parent." She muttered as a tear rolled down her face. "I've only known I was carrying this baby a couple of weeks, but I already love it more than I could possibly imagine."

"Oh, that love thing again." He said dismissively.

"That love thing is the reason Ziggy and Dillon will stop at nothing to get me out of here!" She roared at him. "It's the reason there isn't a single thing you can throw at them that will stop them tearing this place apart piece by piece to get me back!"

"I sincerely doubt that." He told her. "Even if they could get here, even if they did break in. How long do you really think they'd last against everything we have?"

He attached a drip to her arm, sinking the needle into her vein, before going to the storage unit. As he started looking out what he was fetching, Tenaya got a thought about the Grinders. Why were there only two of them? Why not more? Why were their heads modified?

"Venjix doesn't know I'm here, does he?" She asked him. Killobyte turned around, holding a bag of glowing green liquid in his hand. He attached it to the stand next to her chair, before linking it to the drip tube in her arm.

"Venjix knows I'm experimenting on your child." He corrected her. "Of course he thinks it's to create HIS ultimate weapon."

"What's in that bag?" She asked him as he turned the tap. She watched as the liquid started to run down the tube towards her. She struggled, but couldn't free herself. "Please, what is that?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Killobyte told her as he turned and left the room. The door sealed behind him, leaving her with the two modified Grinders. She renewed her struggle, but quickly gave up as she realised it was no use. She couldn't escape. As the liquid finally reached her arm, she felt a warm sensation coursing through her as it entered her system. She wept in frustration at her failure to get loose. She had no idea what Killobyte had done to her. All she could hope was that it didn't harm her child.

Back at the Garage, Dr. K was checking the monitors as she continued to look for Tenaya. Marcus was sitting watching her, finding this new person curious. He knew that she knew who he was, but other than that, he had no idea who she was.

"Dr. K." He said, repeating the name he had heard Dillon use. She glanced over to him. "Is that a codename of some kind?"

"It is." She replied, considering his question. It actually was merely a codename, one given to her by Alphabet Soup as an easy way to file her, categorise her like a piece of lab equipment. However, it was also the only name she knew. As much as she hated it because it was one of the biggest reminders of her years of imprisonment at the hands of her own government, she had been taken so young that she didn't remember her own name.

"Are you a government agent or something?" He asked her.

"Of sorts." She answered him. "I run Project Ranger. I created the technology they use to battle Venjix."

"Why are you holding me?" He asked her. "Why not simply kill me?"

"I do not simply kill you for the same reason I did not simply kill Dillon or Tenaya." She told him, turning to face him. "You are victims. We all are."

"You're a hybrid too?" He asked as she looked back to the computers.

"No, I am not." She told him. "It wasn't Venjix who created me. It was Alphabet Soup."

"The military think tank?" Marcus asked her. Dr. K looked at him a little curiously.

"You know about that?" She asked in response.

"It was an urban myth, a conspiracy theory; it was in a lot of the supermarket tabloids that the rookies at the academy used to love." He informed her. "They said a lot of the kids that disappeared, the ones that demonstrated unusual levels of intelligence were taken to a secret facility to develop weapons for the government, but there was no proof. Everyone thought it was just a story."

"I can assure you it was much more than that." She murmured. "I was four years old when they took me in. I was kept in the installation until I was 18."

"What's your name?" He asked her. "Your real name I mean?"

Dr. K just shook her head sadly. Marcus felt his heart deflating a little as he noticed this. He remembered his life before what was done to him. In many ways, he realised that he and the curious young woman weren't that different. They weren't who they were, they hadn't been allowed to develop and be who they were. That had been taken from them. Of course the difference was that he could remember his life. He could remember his family, and he could remember his name. Dr. K didn't even have that much.

"You weren't lying were you?" He asked her. "You really do want to help me."

"I know how much it would mean to your family to have you back." She explained.

"I wanted to kill them." He whispered. "I wanted to kill Tenaya. She's pregnant. I was prepared to murder a child that wasn't even born because I was paranoid about what it would become, that Venjix was just using her to bring in some weapon..."

"It's too early for a detailed sonogram, but I have given her scans as detailed as I can." She interrupted him. "The baby is human."

"I would have murdered an unborn child?" Marcus gasped at the revelation, a tear slowly leaked down his face as he heard this. "What kind of monster have I become?"

"You're no monster." Dr. K told him. "You could have been, but you've not crossed that line. You looked after all those people in the wastes; you fought to protect the dome despite what has been done to you. You're not a monster. You're still the man you always were. You're Marcus Truman, The Hero of Corinth."

Just then the Rangers arrived back in the Lab, finding Dr. K and Marcus talking. Summer and Scott both stood, looking at him breathlessly as they arrived. The others just looked at them a little confused. Dillon gestured to him.

"I'd like you all to meet D46." He told them.

"What's going on?" Gem asked as he saw Summer and Scott's reaction. The others had never met Marcus; he was 'dead' long before they came into the team. Scott and Summer though had known him for years.

"Marcus?" Scott asked in shock. Both he and Summer approached him slowly, unable to believe that he had returned. Scott inspected him carefully. He looked almost the same, but at the same time very different. His arms and chest bore hundreds of scars, each one the story of another sin committed against him.

"Yes, it's me baby brother." He replied, a smile starting to nervously cross his face. "I never thought I could be again, but I'm Marcus. Dr. K made me see that."

"The reunion's going to have to wait." Dillon stated, taking the key to the restraints out of his pocket. He crossed over to Marcus, unlocking his restraints.

"Dillon, what are you doing?" Ziggy asked him. "We can't trust him..."

"I think we can. If he's serious about being Marcus, then I think I know what kind of guy he is." Dillon looked Marcus in the eyes intently. "Your brother told me all about you. I know you can't let an innocent person suffer. My sister is being held in Venjix's palace..."

"Dillon..."

"I know what I'm doing." He interrupted Summer. "I need to get her out of there. We can't take our morphers, Venjix would be able to track them and intercept us before we got within miles of the fortress. You might be the only one strong enough to help me get in there and back out. Will you help me?"

Marcus looked to his brother, and then back to Dillon.

"I have so much to atone for. I owe you so much." He told him, thinking of all the times he had hurt Dillon and his sister. "I'll help you."

"Ziggy, I'll need you to help us sneak in." He told her. "Flynn, I'll need to borrow the Go-Onger."

"Are you completely mental man? This morning he tried to kill you. Now you just trust him with this?" Flynn yelled incredulously. Dillon gave him a look letting him know he was serious. He sighed, giving him the keys. "So much for giving it to the Colonel."

"Dillon, you can't go alone." Summer told him. "I'm coming with you."

"Fine, but the rest of us will stay here in case there are any more attacks." Scott announced. "Guys, come home safely."

Marcus nodded in understanding, before flashing him his usual smile.

"What's the matter little brother?" He asked.

"I want to live forever." He replied. "I just got my brother back. I don't want to lose him again in the same afternoon."

With that, Summer, Ziggy, Marcus and Dillon all got into the Go-Onger, pulling out of the Garage. Dillon floored the accelerator as they made their way to the city gate. Summer held Ziggy warmly as he looked at the monitor longingly.

"She'll be fine Ziggy, I promise you." She whispered to him.

"I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her." He answered. "This has to work Summer, it just has to."


	46. Tenaya's Rescue

Tenaya's head spun, and she could barely keep her eyes open as the formula Killobyte was pumping through her system coursed through her veins. Her vision came in and out of focus in her exhaustion. Her stomach wouldn't sit still, and she felt incredibly ill. She was thankful for the fact she could move her head. She was almost certain she'd lose the battle to nausea soon.

Killobyte came into the room, surveying her thoughtfully. Tenaya looked up to him, trying to focus.

"What are you doing to me?" She asked him, her voice weak and a little shaky. Killobyte turned to her, and let out a little sound, something like a snort as he saw the results of his work.

"The serum is taking effect." He told her. "I had to start slowly, though your vitals don't show any life-threatening fluctuations. I think we could afford to turn up your dosage a little, just to move things along."

"Please, no." She begged him. "I feel really ill, I'm so tired, I think..."

"Well your body is going through a lot, but I promise that I'm not doing anything that will harm my prize." He said coldly as he walked over to her drip and opened it up a little further. Tenaya could only watch as the fluid started to run a little more quickly. "I'll keep a track of things."

"I feel really sick." She told him, beginning to gag slightly. "Please, stop this; whatever you're doing it can't be good for me or the baby."

"Believe me; I've made all the necessary calculations." He told her.

"Like you did with the dregs?" She asked him as her head rolled weakly on the headrest of the chair. "It took you 44 attempts to get the hybrids right. You make mistakes; please don't make my baby one of them."

"On the contrary, your child will be my finest work." He told her, crossing to the work bench. He picked up a glass jar, showing it to her. It had a small, golden coloured circuit board in it, suspended in place in a pale yellow fluid. "Once the child is born, I will implant this in its brain, after which I'll activate it with the base codes for the Venjix virus. As the child grows, the technology will grow with it. Soon, it will become the ultimate in robotic technology."

Tenaya turned her head sharply, just in time as she threw up on the floor. The thought of Killobyte doing that to her child, turning it into a weapon tipped her stomach over the edge.

"I'll have a Grinder clean that up." He told her. "You just try to relax. I'll be back to do a scan in a little while."

He turned and left the room, just as a Grinder, modified with a cranial implant to keep its actions cloaked from Venjix came in carrying a mop and got to work. She rested her head back, and closed her eyes, the effects of the serum finally taking its toll as she slumped into unconsciousness.

Out in the wastes, the Go-Onger came onto the crest of another sand dune, before pulling to a halt. Marcus pulled on the parking brake, before pointing to a metal structure in the distance.

"We're here." He told them as the four members of the rescue party disembarked. "This is as close as we can risk getting."

They beheld the fortress in all its horror. It was a dark, desolate place, nestled into a valley within the desert far from prying eyes. Thick clouds of pollution poured from the exhausts leading from the lower factories, blocking the sun. Down in the valley, it was almost as black as night, and the sand was dark, infused with soot, giving the whole place a depressing, foreboding atmosphere. Summer pulled out a pair of binoculars, taking a look around. She checked for patrols and potential entry points.

"There are three patrols of outriders. They're about 23 seconds apart."

"That only gives us a short window of opportunity between sweeps." Dillon commented. "We need to get closer."

"There's no point moving until we find an entrance." Marcus told them. "If it was just me I'd consider the front door, but since we want to get Tenaya out in one piece, I think we should look at an alternative plan."

"What's that pipe at the east wing?" Ziggy asked, checking the binoculars. He pointed to one pipe. "It's the only one not blowing out black smoke."

Summer checked the binoculars after him, confirming that he was right. She smiled.

"It looks like Venjix's factories aren't firing on all cylinders." She commented, handing them to Dillon. He also smiled as he noticed this.

"Good work Zig..." Just then a jet of flame fired through the pipe. Dillon and the others all recoiled a little. "Okay, I thing we might want to reconsider. We don't know how long that pipe is. If anyone's in there when the flame burst fires, they'll be flash-fried!"

"Let's move a little closer." Marcus suggested, gesturing to the left, down into the valley. "Those wrecked fighters should provide some cover."

"What about the fumes?" Summer asked. "I know you two might not need as much oxygen as a regular human, but Ziggy and I kind of like breathing."

Dillon reached into the Go-Onger, pulling out a helmet with a gas-mask attached, handing it to her. He got another for Ziggy.

"It looks like Flynn had this thing loaded for bear." He commented.

"He was aware dad only wanted to use the original as an RV right?" Marcus said sarcastically as Dillon threw him another. "When did he think my dad would need gas masks?"

"Probably around the same time he'd use this." He replied, pulling out a cutting torch. "Trust me, Flynn can get a little overly ambitious and imaginative when he starts putting something together."

"Well we could use all the help we can get." Summer said, her voice muffled slightly by the mask. "We should make a move."

"Wait, we need another mask." Ziggy replied. "Once we have Tenaya..."

"I'll take a deep breath." Dillon told him reassuringly. "Let's get her back."

Back in the city, Scott paced nervously as they awaited news from the rescue party. He had barely found out that Marcus had returned before he was pulled away again on the rescue mission. Dr. K found him walking around the room and cleared her throat to get his attention.

"In my experience your brother is very resourceful." She said quietly. Scott just laughed.

"Is that your way of trying to say he'll be alright?" Scott asked her.

"I understand how you feel." Dr. K told him, coming over to him, looking up at him. "When the Alphabet Soup facility was attacked, I thought I'd lost Gem and Gemma for good. I saw that explosion in my mind so many times; I couldn't imagine how anyone could survive. I always hoped, but I was certain I'd never see them again."

"I listened to that flight recording so many times I knew it off by heart." Scott told her as he thought about it. "He sounded so calm when he told me his ejector seat misfired. He knew he had been betrayed, that Gates had fired the missile, but his only thought was to try and warn us."

"You never stopped hoping that he'd come back." Dr. K replied. "I know that I thought about Gem and Gemma every day. They were my family. I know what it's like."

"I just can't believe he made it." Scott commented. "I fought him on two separate occasions and I never figured it out."

"To be fair, he wasn't himself." She reminded him.

"The first time he stopped fighting me after dad got involved." Scott reminded her. "He told him to get away from his son. He must have known all this time."

"Why do you think he didn't fight back when you attacked him in the lab?" Dr. K asked him. "He never wanted to hurt you."

"He's known all this time and he never came back!" Scott stated a little angrily. "He must have known how much it would have meant to dad, how much it would have meant to me to know that he was alive."

"He talked to me, I know a little about what happened to him." She replied. "It isn't my place to explain, but he had his reasons."

"I just don't know how to feel about this." He explained. "I'm happy that he survived, he's my brother and I love him, but there's a part of me that's angry."

"Angry?" She asked him. "But he didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know he didn't. It isn't just that he didn't let us know he was alright." He told her. "Dad and I had finally accepted that he was gone. We had found peace, we..."

"You had become closer." Dr. K interrupted him. "I know your father always paid more attention to Marcus, and that you resented him for that. It's only natural you'd be worried you'll lose that now that Marcus is back."

"I can't believe there's a part of me that almost wishes he hadn't come back." Scott admitted. "What kind of person am I that part of me wishes my brother had died?"

"You should talk to him when he comes back." Dr. K suggested. "You really are both more similar than you know."

"Thanks Dr. K." He replied quietly, taking her hand in his and holding it gently. She pulled him in, wrapping her arms around him and held him tightly. She was glad that Scott had his brother back, but she knew that it would still be a long road for them to figure out where they would go from here, and she was only too happy to be there to help him find that path.

Back at the Fortress, Summer, Ziggy, Dillon and Marcus were closing in on the building. The masks filtered out the worst of the toxins from the air, making it breathable, but it was still uncomfortable, and bitter in their throats. They took cover behind some wreckage near the rear of the complex as a patrol of outriders came past, ducking out of view.

"So what's the plan now?" Dillon asked. "We need to find an area we can cut through quickly. Those bulkheads could be several feet thick."

"Watch and learn." Marcus replied, picking up a stone. He threw it as hard as he could, launching it at impossible speed into a bulkhead, rebounding off it with barely a scratch. After a few attempts, he launched one which punched straight through a section of the wall.

"That panel's thinner than the others." He told them. "It's only a couple of inches. It should be enough."

"How did you do that?" Dillon asked him. "I know we're strong but..."

"Trust me; all this time in the wastes gave me plenty of time to test my limits." Marcus interrupted him.

"All of this is a moot point." Summer whispered. "Even if it is only a few inches, it'll still take more than 23 seconds to cut through it."

"Then we buy time by taking out the patrols." Dillon replied, picking up a steel rod. Three outriders rounded the corner of the building, at which Dillon and Marcus acted, leaping forward and smashing them out of their saddles, before dragging them and their bikes back into cover.

"Great, now we have two of them." Ziggy muttered. As the second patrol came, Dillon and Marcus sprang into action again, taking them out too.

"Summer, start cutting!" Dillon snapped. Summer ran to the wall and sparked up the cutting torch, starting to get to work. "Ziggy, they'll probably notice the patrols are missing soon. We have to act quickly."

At the third and final patrol came, Dillon and Marcus destroyed them with dismissive ease. Summer acted as quickly as she could, beginning to cut a breach in the wall.

"That'll have to be enough." Marcus told her, gesturing her aside. "Want to give me a hand Dillon?"

The two hybrids stood side-by-side and kicked the bulkhead into the corridor. Dillon shoved his way in first as some Grinders came into corridor, ploughing through them with all the strength he had. Marcus was next, joining him in the assault.

"Which way to the holding cells?" Summer asked Dillon as she came in.

"That elevator should take you to the laboratory level. It's on the fourth floor." Dillon told her, pointing to an elevator behind her as he remembered his own captivity. He recalled the day he and Tenaya were dragged in with the other hybrids in preparation for their mental conditioning. "You and Ziggy go, we'll catch up."

Ziggy and Summer did as they were told, knowing that it would surely not be much longer before the alarm was sounded. Although none of the Grinders had activated it yet, she knew Dillon was right when he said it wouldn't be long before the perimeter patrols were missed.

The elevator arrived at the laboratory block, at which Summer and Ziggy rushed down the corridor.

"There have to be hundreds of doors." Ziggy complained loudly. "Where is she?"

"I'd try that one." Summer replied as they rounded a corner, seeing the modified Grinders outside the door, she kicked the first into the wall, smashing its head to smithereens, before tackling the other.

"Ziggy, get the door!" Summer ordered him. Ziggy went to the control panel and opened it up, beginning to work on hacking the locking mechanism. After Summer finished with her opponent, he managed to make the right connection, causing the door to open.

"We're in!" He called out as he went inside. "Don't worry Tenaya we're..."

His words tailed off as he saw her. His eyes opened wide and his jaw all but hit the floor. Tenaya was so out of it that she barely noticed he was there.

"Ziggy what's taking so...whoa!" Summer stated as she came in, seeing what had taken Ziggy by surprise. "OK, now that complicates things."

"Ten, we need to get you out of here. Do you think you can walk if we help you?" Ziggy asked her. She nodded wearily. Ziggy grabbed a key from the bench and started to unlock her restraints. "Where's your hand?"

"The box." She managed to croak as she pointed with her one remaining hand. Summer grabbed the box and positioned herself under Ten's left arm, while Ziggy took her right. They started to drag her through the hall, taking her back to the elevator.

As they got back to the corridor, Marcus and Dillon were finishing up with the guard contingent. Marcus turned and stared at Tenaya in amazement.

"How long has she been here?" He asked as he looked at her in amazement. Dillon turned to see his sister being carried by Summer and Ziggy. She seemed weak, and a little spacey, but more than that, she was in no condition to go anywhere quickly. Her stomach was now the size of a beach ball.

"What the hell did Killobyte do to her?" He asked them.

"It looks like he didn't want to wait another eight months for the baby." Ziggy commented. "We can worry about that later. We need to get her out of here."

Dillon pulled off his helmet and put it on her. While her systems, like his, would not suffer life-threatening symptoms from the pollution, they weren't sure what the effects would be on the baby. He went through the breach first, and gestured for Tenaya to be handed to him. Marcus stopped them.

"Dillon, without the mask you'll be weakened." He reminded him. "I'm the only one with the strength to carry her to the Go-Onger quickly enough."

Dillon looked between Marcus and Ziggy, sensing the uncertainty. Ziggy still wasn't on board with the idea of trusting him completely, and now he was asking to be trusted with his pregnant girlfriend. Dillon could already feel the smog starting to affect his strength.

"Marcus get out here." He told him. "Ziggy, give Tenaya to Marcus."

Ziggy hesitated for a moment, still uncertain if they could trust Marcus. Summer nudged him, reminding him of their position.

"Ziggy we don't have time for this!" She reminded him. "Marcus is strong enough to carry her quickly. We need to get out of here."

Ziggy finally relented, handing her over.

"She's everything to me." He warned him. "Don't..."

"I'll keep her safe." Marcus promised him. Just as they left, an alarm sounded.

"It looks like we've been busted." Dillon commented. "Time to run!"

The rescue party all ran as fast as they could, scrambling towards the Go-Onger. Blasts rained all around them as they fled, the first of the Grinders coming to try and destroy the intruders.

Marcus reached the Go-Onger first, laying Tenaya in the back as gently as he could. Summer and Ziggy got into the back with her as Marcus threw himself into the driver's seat. He saw Dillon in the rear-view mirror struggling up the hill as the fumes weakened him. Seeing that some Grinders were about to reach him, he slammed the vehicle into reverse, smashing through them and stopping next to Dillon, throwing open the passenger seat.

"Those fumes were stronger than I thought." He coughed as he closed the door. Marcus threw the Go-Onger forward, blasting away as quickly as they could.

"The filters are on; it should be safe to remove the masks." Marcus told them, pulling off his own. Summer and Ziggy did likewise, before Ziggy helped Tenaya with hers. Summer forced open the box containing her hand, before reattaching it.

"How are you feeling there?" Ziggy asked her.

"I feel as sick as hell and my back hurts." She told him, cradling her stomach. "I feel better seeing you though."

"What happened to you?" Summer asked her. "You were only about a month along, but now..."

"Killobyte injected me with some kind of serum." She informed them as she grunted a little and shifted into a more comfortable position. Her hand strayed to her abdomen. "It really did a number on me. I felt completely drained, and ill."

"I'm no expert, but I'd say whatever he did was designed to accelerate the pregnancy." Ziggy commented as he looked at her. Just then, Venjix Drones took up the pursuit, firing blasts which shook the whole vehicle. Tenaya got a slightly pained expression on her face and grabbed his arm tightly as she grunted in discomfort.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Ziggy asked him. "Use the nitrous!"

Marcus hit the nitros, increasing the speed dramatically, but still not enough to outrun the aircraft. Dillon got onto the radio.

"This is Dillon to base. We have Venjix fighters all over us. Send us some air support!" He yelled loudly.

"Gem and Gemma will be with you shortly." Dr. K told them. "What is your status?"

"We're taking a pounding, but the Go-Onger's holding up." Marcus answered her. "We have a slight complication though. It seems Killobyte somehow accelerated Tenaya's pregnancy."

"Accelerated?" Dr. K asked him. "How much?"

"It looks like she's months along." Ziggy told her. "I'd say seven, maybe eight."

"I'd say more like nine." Summer corrected him as she surveyed Tenaya. "Her water's just broken."


	47. A Child is Born

"You're kidding right?" Scott yelled through the comm-link as the explosions made hearing much of anything, other than the panicked screams from Ziggy and Tenaya almost impossible to hear. "She's having the baby now?"

"It's not something I'd joke about Scott!" Summer reprimanded him aggressively as Tenaya's face twisted in pain, the contractions starting as Marcus swerved to avoid another explosion. "Dr. K, how far out are we?"

"Your signal appeared on the map a few minutes ago." Dr. K informed her. "At your current velocity you'll hit the city in approximately 10 minutes and 17 seconds."

"Bad news doc, the nitrous is about to die." Dillon informed her, his vision clearing just enough to check the gauges. "The tank's almost out."

"Flynn, what's the top speed of this heap without Nitrous?" Summer called out as she pulled her sleeve back, looking at her watch. As Tenaya relaxed a little, the contraction subsiding, she started timing them.

"It's not a heap!" He protested. He shook his head and chastised himself for defending his creation, knowing that wasn't exactly the important point right now. "Flat out it'll hit 70."

The vehicle lurched ominously and slowed considerably, throwing the passengers around roughly. Ziggy's head hit the side of the vehicle, splitting his brow, but he didn't care. He immediately scooted over to Tenaya's side, ensuring she was unhurt.

"Nitrous is out!" Marcus informed them. "How long until that air support arrives?"

"Gem and Gemma should be with you in about five minutes." Dr. K told them. "At your current speed, ETA to the city is about 24 minutes."

Tenaya screamed as another contraction came. Ziggy held her and stroked her hair reassuringly.

"Tenaya, we're going to get there." He assured her. "Come on, just try to stay calm and..."

"I'm not so sure about that." Summer interrupted him. "The contractions are less than a minute apart."

"That's not good." Dr. K responded. "Summer, how extensive is your medical knowledge?"

"I did a first aid course once." Summer responded as another explosion rocked the vehicle harshly. "Dr. K you can't be serious!"

"I'm afraid it looks like you won't make it to the city in time." Dr. K confirmed as she turned to Flynn. "Is there blankets? Bedding? Anything like that in the Go-Onger?"

"Summer, look in the top cupboard on the left hand side." Flynn told her as he took the communicator from Dr. K. "You should find blankets there."

"Dr. K, you can't be serious. We can't deliver the baby here!" Dillon screamed as he looked around at his sister in horror.

"I don't know how!" Summer added. "I've never even known anyone who was pregnant!"

"Dillon, have you recovered enough to take the wheel?" Marcus asked him. Dillon shook his head to clear some more cobwebs.

"I can see just fine." He told him.

"Then take the wheel!" He instructed the Black Ranger, trapping the accelerator as Dillon reached across to take the wheel. Marcus shifted awkwardly into the back of the vehicle, allowing Dillon into the driver's seat.

"What are you doing?" Ziggy asked him.

"We didn't exactly have a maternity ward in the caves." He reminded him. "I helped deliver a few babies back when I was leading the resistance."

"People had kids out here?" Ziggy asked him. Marcus just shrugged.

"Nights got cold at times." He responded.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Ziggy asked, clearly a little concerned about this plan. It was one thing not being able to get to a hospital, it was quite another delivering the baby in the middle of an air-raid.

"I've never delivered a baby in the back of a moving vehicle in the middle of a fire-fight before, but the principle is the same." Marcus said as reassuringly as he could. Tenaya grabbed her boyfriend by the shirt and pulled him close, glaring at him hatefully as the pain intensified.

"For the love of God Ziggy shut up and let him get on with it...aaaaargghhhhhhh!"

"That was nowhere near a minute." Summer commented as she checked her watch. "I think we're out of options. The baby's coming whether we like it or not."

Over at the Central Command building, Colonel Truman was handling some paperwork when he heard a knock at the door. He looked up to see Hicks standing in the doorway.

"Hicks, you aren't cleared to return to duty yet." He commented, setting down his pen. Hicks closed the door behind him.

"I was actually wanting to talk to you about a personal matter." Hicks told him as he made his way to the desk. The Colonel gestured for him to take a seat.

"I would have thought you'd prefer to see a friend about such things." Colonel Truman commented. Hicks just stroked his neck.

"I would, but that's kind of the problem." Hicks responded. "I would have talked to a friend, but I thought about it and I realised...I don't have any."

"I think that might be a bit of an exaggeration." Colonel Truman assured him. "I mean Vasquez..."

"I've never met her outside of here. I've never even seen her out of uniform." He interrupted but I know nothing about them. The sad fact is, you're probably my best friend but if I'm honest...I don't know anything about you outside of your military accomplishments."

"I'm honoured you think of me as a friend." Truman replied.

"The thing is, since it happened, since I lost my family, everything I've done has been geared towards getting back at Venjix. I never thought about anything else." He admitted as he thought about it. "Now though, I'm just starting to realise what I've lost."

"It sounds like you've come a long way." Colonel Truman responded. "No one can blame you for losing sight of the little things."

"That's just it. Because of that, I never realised what I was doing until it was too late." He told the Colonel. Truman just furrowed his brows in confusion. "It's about Gemma."

"I thought the two of you were getting along really well." Colonel Truman remarked, pouring himself some water from the water cooler. "If what Scott's been telling me is true, then she's taken more than a little bit of a shine to you."

"That's just the problem." Hicks told him. "I know I shouldn't say this, I know it would end my career if I made it official, but I'm sure you've already figured out I wasn't in Ronan's territory by accident."

"I had guessed that much." Truman replied with a little smirk. "I know you're too good a soldier to be taken down by some street punks if you didn't let it happen."

"Well, I kind of did it knowing what would happen." Hicks told him. "Gemma came around every night at eight. I knew she would worry when I wasn't there and come looking for me."

"It was a sound strategy." Colonel Truman told him. "But it was a bit of a crappy thing to do to her."

"I know that. I've been feeling guilty ever since." Hicks told him. "That's what I wanted to talk about."

"You feel guilty about using her." Colonel Truman surmised. Hicks just nodded in response.

"I only thought about achieving my objective. I never considered what I was doing to her." Hicks told him as he recalled the events in his mind. "When she rescued me she kissed me. I knew she liked me, that's how I knew she would come for me, but it was then that I realised how serious her feelings were. I couldn't even look at her after that. I was so ashamed of myself for using her feelings for me to manipulate her like that."

He looked at the Colonel sadly.

"I admitted what I had done to her. I owed her an explanation." He told him. "She was so upset when I told her."

"Can you blame her?" Colonel Truman asked in response. Hicks shook his head.

"I never wanted to hurt her, I just didn't think." Hicks murmured as he thought about the Silver Ranger. "She's done nothing but try to help me, and I've treated her terribly. At first I treated her as a joke, and then I used her without a thought how it would make her feel."

"It is encouraging that you know you did wrong and feel badly about it." Colonel Truman assured him, coming round the desk and sitting on it, bringing himself closer to his right hand man. "Grief can make us blind to the suffering of others. I know I didn't pay as much attention to Scott as I should have after Marcus died."

"I've really let her down." He said sadly. "I can't believe I've hurt her like this."

"There's more to this isn't there?" Colonel Truman asked him. "There's a reason this is affecting you so much isn't there?"

"Gemma's the first one to really try and get through to me. Even when I behaved like a complete asshole she always tried to find a way to make me smile." He replied as he thought about her. He chuckled a little thinking about her eccentricities. "She succeeded more than once. I never thought I'd laugh again after I lost my family."

"It isn't a crime to feel happy." Colonel Truman told him. "You survived. I know it's hard, but you have to live your life. Just because the others are gone doesn't mean you don't have a right to have a life and be happy."

"What are you talking about?" Hicks asked him curiously. Colonel Truman just smiled.

"You're not that bright are you?" Colonel Truman answered. "Why do you think you feel so badly about hurting Gemma?"

"You think...?" He paused for a second, unable to answer. "No, it's not possible. There was only one girl..."

"Would it really be that bad?" Colonel Truman interrupted him. "You feel guilty about feeling that way about her. You feel like you're cheating on your fiancée."

"Sir, I..."

"She was the woman of your dreams, but the fact is she's gone." Colonel Truman interrupted him again. "That doesn't mean you love her any less now that you find you're feeling for another."

"But...I..." He stammered a little thinking about it. He had always found it hard to think about what he really thought about Gemma. She was a beautiful, carefree young woman. She was incredibly intelligent and funny, but her little childish mannerisms had bothered him at first. Initially he didn't take her seriously, which had led to him inadvertently hurting her feelings when he made fun of her. He had underestimated her because of the way she acted, not understanding the full complexity of who she really was.

At Chas' wedding, he had shared a dance with her, noticing how truly stunning she really was. By then he was already fully aware of how she felt about him, and he knew that sharing the dance with her was probably not wise, but he was stunned by her, and had done so anyway. He had to admit having had a few thoughts crossing his mind about her as they shared that moment, but he was unsure, feeling a little guilty about having those thoughts. Not only had she been conditioned essentially to remain a child by her upbringing, making such emotions complicated for him to justify, he also felt guilty about turning his back on the woman he had been set to marry on the day Venjix attacked his parent's farm.

"You don't have to rush into anything. It probably isn't the right time for either of you." Colonel Truman advised him. "I would suggest though that it may be time for you to stop punishing yourself for trying to find happiness."

"Thank you sir." Hicks replied, but Truman caught his wrist as he moved to salute him.

"I'm not saying this as your commanding officer. I'm saying it as a friend." He replied. "You're welcome."

Back in the Go-Onger, the pursuing Venjix drones continued to hail down energy blasts as they raced towards Corinth. Tenaya was screaming in pain as she experienced the harshest contraction yet.

"It's alright Ten, we'll do everything we can." Ziggy said to her, trying to keep her as calm as possible. "Where the hell are Gem and Gemma?"

"We're right above you!" The Gold Ranger announced as he fired, destroying a few of the pursuing aircraft. The Silver Tiger Zord was a little behind him, racing into view and taking up the engagement.

"Well that's one thing at least." Summer commented. "Flynn, are there any painkillers in here?"

"That is a negative Ranger Yellow!" Dr. K rushed out over the communicator. "We don't know how they will react with the serum Killobyte used to advance the pregnancy."

"It looks like we're going to have to do this old-school." Marcus commented as he looked down to her sympathetically. "This is going to hurt."

"No shit Sherlock!" She screamed at him, breathing rapidly. "Tell you what, you try shitting a whole watermelon at once and then you'll know what it feels like!"

Tenaya, take my hand." Ziggy told her. "Squeeze it if it hurts."

"Ziggy with her strength she'd crush the bones into powder." Summer reminded him. "Tenaya, is there anything we can do?"

"Please, tell me if I can do anything." Ziggy asked her.

"Get the hell out of this bloody van!" She roared. "This is your fault!"

"Ten..."

"Don't touch me you...aaaaaarrrgghhhhhhh!" She screamed as another contraction hit her. Dillon glanced backwards.

"Is everything alright?" He asked them.

"Just concentrate on driving!" Summer instructed him. "Tenaya, we're helping as much as we can."

"She's fully dilated." Marcus informed them, looking through the cabinets. Finding some hand soap and bottled water, he quickly started scrubbing his hands. "It won't be much longer."

"You're kidding right?" Ziggy asked in horror. "We're miles from the city!"

"I don't think that really matters to Junior too much." Marcus told him, drying his hands on a clean cloth. "Tenaya, when the next contraction comes, I want you to start pushing."

Tenaya clenched her teeth and grunted as the next contraction hit her, pushing for all she was worth. Ziggy held onto her, stroking her hair to remind her he was there as she felt the pain beginning.

Back at the Ranger base, Dr. K had prepared the lab for the arrival of the child, knowing that there were a number of tests she would have to perform to see how healthy it was when it arrived. Scott and Flynn came in, finding her running around as she prepared everything.

"Slow down lass, you're running around like a blue-arsed fly!" Flynn stated as she got things ready. Scott grabbed her as she ignored them.

"Dr. K, they're going to be fine." He told her. "If there's one thing I've learned across all this time it's never to underestimate Ziggy or Dillon."

"Scott, they're trying to deliver the baby as we speak." She reminded him. "There's no way they'll be able to make it to the lab before the birth. They have to..."

"I've know my brother all my life. He can do anything he sets his mind to." Scott assured her. He smiled a little as he thought about it. "He does everything with style."

"Well style or not, it still isn't ideal circumstances under which to bring a child into the world." She told him flatly. "We have no idea what, if any long-lasting effects the serum will have."

"That's why we need faith." Scott told her.

"I can't help it. My whole life had been consumed with statistics and probabilities." She explained. "I know..."

"I know that life is one big miracle." Flynn chipped in. "Have faith lass. I'm sure they'll all be fine."

"I really hope so." She replied quietly.

Back in the Go-Onger, Ziggy comforted Tenaya as much as he could while Gem and Gemma took care of the last of the pursuing aircraft.

"That's one less thing to worry about." Dillon shouted over Tenaya's screams as he looked upwards. "How are things there?"

"The baby's crowning." Marcus informed them. "Summer, get the blankets."

Summer did as she was told, handing them to him. He positioned some on the floor, while he left the others in a bundle nearby. "Tenaya, when the next contraction comes, I want you to push as hard as you can."

Tenaya clenched her teeth once more, pushing as hard as she could as the last contraction came. Ziggy watched in awe as it happened. Marcus took the baby in his hands, wrapping it in a blanket.

"Summer, I saw some disinfectant in the first aid kit." He told her as he cradled the newborn child. He pulled a large combat knife from his boot. "Disinfect the blade, and then cut the umbilical cord."

As Summer poured the disinfectant over the blade and Ziggy comforted Tenaya, Marcus smacked the baby gently. After a sharp intake of breath, it started to cry.

"What are you doing?" Ziggy demanded angrily.

"I needed to start the child breathing." He told him as Summer cut the cord. He tied it off quickly, taking a second to look down at the child in wonder. He couldn't believe that he had ever wanted to kill the child. It was so small and helpless in his hands, though it represented something that Marcus had forgotten long ago. It represented hope. There was a future for this world, as dark as it was now. He handed the baby over to Ziggy to present to its mother.

"Say hello to your son." He announced as Ziggy took the baby, smiling happily. "Congratulations."

"It's a boy." Ziggy whispered as he handed his son to Tenaya. "We have a son."

Tenaya took the boy, cradling him softly to her chest, laughing nervously as she looked at him. She kissed his forehead gently as Ziggy wrapped his arms around them both. Summer looked on in amazement at the scene. She could still remember the first time she met Ziggy, always thinking of him as something of a clown and a joker. Now though, he had never looked more like a man to her. The scene just looked so right, mother, father and child all together as one.

"He's so beautiful." Tenaya whispered gently. "He's the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

"You did well." Ziggy complimented her, cradling her chin and turning her head to face him. He kissed her softly before turning his attention back to his son, stroking his head softly with his hand. "He's amazing."

"Last stop Corinth." Dillon announced as they crested the last dune and the dome came into view. He couldn't stop himself from taking a glance in the mirror, seeing his sister holding the baby and smiled. It wouldn't be long before he could finally get to meet his nephew.


	48. The Name

The Go-Onger limped pathetically back into the Garage as Flynn, Scott and Dr. K crowded around it. Ziggy and Summer helped Tenaya from the back of it as carefully as they could, while she held her newborn son carefully.

"Dr. K, take him." She whispered as she handed him over. As much as she wanted nothing more than to keep him in her arms, she knew that she needed Dr. K to check him out. "Please be careful."

Dr. K just nodded, realising how much trust Tenaya was placing in her. She took the little boy as carefully as she could into the lab. Ziggy held Tenaya as she did so, appreciating the fact that neither of them would want to see what she had to do to him. Tenaya pulled away as she heard his pained wail, but Ziggy held her back. Dr. K needed to carry out the heel prick test to know what was going on with him.

"He'll be fine. He's tough, just like his mommy." Ziggy assured her as Tenaya looked towards the door of the lab longingly. "We need this."

"He's hurting, he needs me." She pleaded with him. Ziggy shook his head sadly as tears ran down his face.

"I want to go in there and get him out too, but we need him to take these tests." He reminded her as he held her closely. "We need to know what's going on."

In the lab, Dr. K was running tests on the blood and tissue samples she had taken from the heel prick test. She didn't want to hurt the baby, but she knew that she didn't have a choice. She had to hurt the baby to take the samples and run the tests she needed to. The serum had developed the child very quickly, and she was worried that if the serum hadn't metabolised through the boy's system, then it could continue to age him. Not only was she unsure how much strain it would put on his body to age so quickly, there was also the worry about how much he would age.

As she put the samples into the machines, she heard the baby crying and couldn't help feeling badly. She reached over, placing a hand tenderly on his chest.

"I'm sorry." She whispered to him, knowing that he couldn't possibly understand a word she was saying. "I know I'm not much of a people person, but please don't hate me. I don't mean you any harm."

As she lifted her hand, she noticed that the baby's eyes followed it. She waved her hand back and forth over his face, smiling as she noticed his eyes tracking her movements. Just then, the computer bleeped, bringing back the results of her tests. She taped a dressing on the little guy's heel, before wrapping him in a blanket and picking him up. She came back through to the main room where the others were waiting. Tenaya and Ziggy stepped a little closer.

"There's no technology inside him." She told them. "He isn't aging abnormally anymore. It appears that the serum was only designed to accelerate the pregnancy. His body identified it as a foreign body and his immune system fought it. It appears to have completely metabolised."

"Is there anything wrong with him?" Tenaya asked in a panic. "He wasn't meant to be born for months yet. He..."

"He's fine." She assured her. "He's a little tired and he wants his mommy but he's fine."

"The serum made him develop more quickly." Ziggy stated. "Are you sure he isn't aging?"

"His cellular generation appears to be normal for a child of his age." She told them. "It looks like Killobyte's serum only advanced his aging during the time he was in the womb. It could have aged him further, but it looks like it's been metabolised out of his system."

"Is he...?" Tenaya couldn't bring herself to ask the question she wanted to know the answer to. She dreaded the answer. "Is he like...I used to be?"

"His vision appears to be functioning." Dr. K said with a smile as she handed the baby back to Tenaya. "He is responding to visual stimulation. He is a perfectly healthy, fully functioning baby boy."

"I told you he'd be fine." Ziggy said happily as he put his arm around Tenaya. She held her son closely, tracing her finger back and forth over his face to confirm what Dr. K had said. His eyes followed the movements, raising a nervous giggle from her.

"He's perfect." She gasped, looking into his face. "He's perfect."

"I'd also suggest that you take some time to recover too." Dr. K told her as the party made their way to her bedroom. "I'm putting you on complete bed rest until further notice. Your body's gone through a lot."

"But..."

"You're going to rest up Ten." Ziggy reiterated a little concerned. "You have basically gone through seven and a half months of pregnancy in one night. There's no telling what that could have done to your health."

"What are you going to call him?" Summer asked her as Tenaya relented, getting into the bed and sliding under the covers, before taking the baby back from Ziggy. "I'd like to know my new nephew's name."

"I guess we hadn't really thought about it." Ziggy said as he took his son from Tenaya, seeing how tired she was from the difficult labour. "I suppose we thought we'd have a little more time to decide."

"I like Alex." She told him. Ziggy looked at her a little curiously. "I studied history back before the implants and one of my favourite historical leaders was Alexander of Macedonia."

"Alexander the Great." Dillon concluded. "Alexander eh?"

"Alex Grover." Ziggy said aloud, trying the name out. He smiled as he heard it. "Lex."

The baby by now had screamed himself into exhaustion and fallen asleep. Ziggy rocked him gently as he looked down at him.

"Lex." Tenaya repeated softly. "I like that."

"Then I guess his name's Alexander." Ziggy responded, before looking up to Dillon. "Alexander Frederick Grover."

"Frederick?" Tenaya asked him, before looking to Dillon and smiling, seeing that he was a little taken aback by the somewhat roundabout honour. "I can live with that."

"Sleep well Lex." Ziggy whispered to his son as he climbed into the bed with Tenaya. The other Rangers all took the hint that it was time to leave, and did so. Summer took Dillon by the arm.

"He's gorgeous." She said slightly dreamily, as they left the room. "Your sister did well."

"I'm still a little freaked by the way everything went down." He admitted. "I can't believe she went through nearly eight months of pregnancy in one day."

"Well if anyone was tough enough to take that she is." Summer replied. "So do you still want to kill Ziggy?"

"I haven't made my mind up on that account." He said in a small laugh, pulling the Yellow Ranger into his body, holding her softly. "I suppose I don't want my nephew to grow up without his daddy if I can help it."

"You know, this did make me consider one thing." Summer told him. "I'm technically not an auntie...yet."

Dillon smiled at her as he realised what she meant.

"I thought things were a little busy right now." He responded.

"I don't think there'll ever be a quiet time." Summer said in response. She turned to face him, taking his hands gently in her own. "Dillon, I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I can't imagine anything I want more. I guess I'm asking, why wait?"

"Are you sure about this?" He asked her. Summer just nodded in response.

"We both know this could end badly. We both know we might fail, but if that happens, then I want my final moments to be as your wife." She stated with authority. She reached up, caressing his cheek with her hand. "Dillon, I want us to arrange a wedding as soon as possible."

Dillon just pulled her in, kissing her passionately. He wanted nothing more than to make her his wife. Now that the virus was gone from his system for good, he could concentrate on his family.

"We'll go and see about arranging something." He replied quietly. "We have to get some stuff for the baby anyway. We really weren't prepared for him coming so early."

"I guess that's true." She agreed, kissing his cheek softly. "I'll just go and talk to Flynn about borrowing his hummer. I think we'll need the trunk space if we're going to pick up a crib."

"How do you think things are going over there?" Dillon asked her, gesturing over to the corner where Marcus and Scott were talking quietly. Summer shook her head sadly.

"I really couldn't tell you." She told him. "I know Scott always hoped that he would come back, but I don't think anyone ever considered the possibility that he would."

"I guess they can only take their time and try to figure out where they go from here." Dillon said with a shrug. "I can't imagine it's going to be easy for any of them to know where they stand with each other now."

"Any of them?" Summer asked him curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

"They still have to tell the Colonel." He reminded her as they made their way to find Flynn.


	49. Shopping

Summer and Dillon arrived at a maternity store late in the evening, arriving just in time as the assistant was preparing to close up for the night again. Summer managed to get her foot in the door, causing the assistant to look at her a little stunned.

"I'm sorry, it's late I know, but we really need to buy a few things." She rushed out, seeing that the assistant was clearly a little unhappy about the last-minute disruption to his plans to close the shop and go home. He looked at her a little quizzically.

"It looks like you have plenty of time yet." He commented. "You aren't even showing yet. Could you come back tomorrow?"

"It's not for her." Dillon told him. "My sister just had a kid. We need a few essentials."

The assistant looked at them both a little curiously. They had to admit that it was a little odd. Under the normal run of things, they would have been better prepared for Alex's birth, but this was hardly typical circumstances. He had caught them completely off-guard. Because of Killobyte's serum the baby's arrival had come much sooner than they expected, several months so in fact. Summer pulled out some cash, showing it to the sales assistant.

"Please, we'll be really quick, I promise." She told him. The assistant reluctantly opened the door, allowing them in. Dillon pulled in towards Summer as he left them alone to return to his important business, a take away chicken bucket and extra large soda.

"He really ought to learn to treat his customers better." Dillon said sarcastically. "If anywhere else was still open I'd go somewhere else."

"Dillon, he just wants to go home." She reminded him, picking up a bottle warmer and handing it to him. She grabbed a pack of bottles, and some cleaning equipment. "Let's just get enough stuff for the night and go somewhere else another time."

Dillon almost dropped what he was carrying when she shoved a pack of newborn diapers into his hands. He swayed a little as he tried to adjust his grip to prevent himself dropping any of the goods. Summer picked up couple of outfits and threw them into a nearby crib.

"I thought we were only getting enough stuff for tonight." He commented, dumping his own goods into the cot with them. Summer grabbed a couple of blankets.

"We don't want him to get cold do we?" She asked him. "Besides, I don't know much about babies, but Ziggy's been around quite a few in the orphanage, and he always said they can shoot from all three directions at once without warning and at trajectories you couldn't imagine. We may need to change him a couple of times."

"That's a charming mental image." He muttered, thinking about the little boy waiting for them back at the Garage. "Summer, what did you mean 'we'? It is their baby."

"It's part of the joys of being an uncle." She laughed, seeing the somewhat disgusted look on his face as she held a couple of tubs of baby wipes thoughtfully. After considering it for a moment, she threw both into the cot, erring on the side of caution, before looking out some lotion and baby powder. "You know it will be good practice for when it's our turn."

"I think we're a little way from that yet." Dillon replied throwing some baby soap into the cot as the assistant looked at them, becoming a little impatient with them. It wasn't as if they could explain that the baby had been born in such a short time that they literally had to buy everything right now.

"I think this should hold us for just now until we can shop properly tomorrow." Summer said, completely ignoring him. She turned to face him with a little smile on her face. "I'm sure Ziggy and Tenaya would like to do some of their own baby shopping, but we could always go with them."

"Shopping isn't really my thing." He reminded her as he helped her carry the crib to the counter. The assistant just sighed and started dutifully scanning their purchases and putting them in bags.

"Not even for a certain piece of jewellery?" She asked him playfully. Dillon smiled as he realised what she was getting at. Summer pulled him in a little more closely, smiling at him. "Once we help Ziggy and Tenaya, we could always slip away and make a day of it."

"That sounds great." He replied. "So have you thought any more about the kind of ceremony you'd like?"

"Well as nice as it was the first time, I think I'd like to avoid a public spectacle like the ceremony in the Garage." She told him as the assistant finished putting the other purchases into bags, before checking the number on the crib and heading into the store room to find a flat-pack for their choice. "This city doesn't have a great track record for big weddings."

"You mean like the fact you and Chas never made it to the altar?" He asked her. "That actually worked out pretty well for everyone involved, especially yours truly."

"Not to mention Bob getting impaled at Chas' wedding to Brie." Summer reminded him. "I was actually thinking of something a little smaller. Just us and the guys."

"Well I guess there aren't really going to be any guests from my side of the family." He replied with a shrug. Summer looked at him a little uneasily. "I didn't mean anything by that; I was just saying that most of the people I'd want to invite are your friends too."

"I could talk the Colonel into getting the military chaplain to perform the ceremony." She suggested. "With the exception of the guys, the Colonel, my parents..."

She was interrupted as the store assistant came back, setting down the box containing the crib on the counter. Dillon took the box and a couple of bags while Summer gathered the rest, handing the cash to the assistant. He ran up the sale, slamming the register shut before following them to the door, ensuring no one else followed them in, slamming it and locking it as soon as they were outside.

"Well we can see about all that tomorrow." Dillon told her as they started loading up the hummer. "Although we might want to suggest they avoid this place in future."

"So you're up for the idea of spending the day together?" She asked him. Dillon reached behind her head and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply.

"Welcome to the family." He replied softly as he looked into her eyes. "How's that for an answer?"

"It sounds perfect." She told him as they closed up the trunk, before getting into the cab. "Now, let's go. I'm sure the happy parents will be glad to see this stuff."

Back at the Garage, Dr. K was sitting with Gem and Gemma in the main room as Hicks came into the room, finding them all gathered around. From the way Gem and Dr. K smiled when they saw him, he could guess that Gemma hadn't told them about his part in Ziggy's plan, and more importantly about the fact he had tricked Gemma into coming to his rescue, using the feelings he knew she had for him to manipulate her. Gemma barely looked at him, instead somewhat ignoring him. She turned her attention back to a small device of some description that she was working on.

"Hicks, you're out of the hospital already?" Gem asked him excitedly, bounding over to him and greeting him warmly. "Are you here to see the baby?"

"Baby?" He asked him a little confused. "What baby?"

"Tenaya's baby." Dr. K told him. She could see from the look on his face he was more than a little stunned by this answer. He had only barely heard through the grapevine about Tenaya being pregnant. He had no idea how long it had been since he had seen her, but it certainly didn't seem long enough for her to have had a baby. Dr. K rolled her eyes as she saw him trying to figure it out. "It's a long story, but the baby was born today. It's a boy, they named him Alexander."

"Are they alright?" Hicks asked them.

"Tenaya's exhausted, and I've recommended that she should get plenty of rest, but she and the baby are both healthy." Dr. K informed him. She got a little smile on her face as she thought about him. "I think he looks a little like Dillon."

"Well tell them I said congratulations." He replied. "I'll get them a present or something in the next few days."

"Anyway, I thought you'd still be in the hospital." Gem stated, turning back to him. "They said Ronan had gone to town on you."

"The Hicks family have always had tough hides." He said, waving off the concern.

"Thick heads too no doubt." Gemma grumbled, fumbling a little with the device in her hand. Dr. K overheard the odd remark and looked a puzzled. Hicks had obviously gotten the gist of what she had said given his reaction, but rather than being upset or insulted, he seemed more ashamed. He couldn't look her in the face, but was trying to look at her. She surmised that something must have happened between them, since Gemma was clearly not acting herself around him. Just then, Summer and Dillon came into the Garage, beginning to unload supplies.

"We're back!" Summer announced, helping Dillon with the cot. "We come bearing gifts."

"Are you sure the baby's going to need all this?" Gem asked, looking at the mountain of supplies.

"Apparently it'll need more." Dillon replied a little sarcastically. "We're going shopping again tomorrow with Ziggy and Tenaya."

"I'll put this stuff away. Gem, go and help them assemble the crib. I'm sure Ziggy and Tenaya will want it in a little while." Dr. K instructed them. Gemma tried to protest, but Dr. K just guided them out of the room to leave her with Hicks, but gave him a barely registered cold glare as she went. She had already spoken to him once about how emotionally fragile the twins could be, and how easily they took things to heart. He knew she was giving them privacy to talk, but also wordlessly warning him not to hurt her again. He made a mental note of the time she had told them about the liquid she made at Alphabet Soup to spike someone's drink, and decided that whatever happened, it would be best to prepare his own drinks and drink only from sealed bottles for a few days.

Gemma pulled away as far as she could and started concentrating all her attention on the device in her hand as he sat with her on the couch. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, but it seemed that Gemma had no intention of making it any easier.

"Gemma, can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked her.

"Is that not what you're doing?" She asked a little petulantly. Hicks shook his head sadly. This was going to be fun alright.

Over at the Central Command building, Colonel Truman was in the main office with his technical staff, shutting down his computer and gathering the last of his things as he prepared to go home. Vasquez was just working on some diagnostics on the weather control system.

"Don't you have a home to go to?" He asked her, seeing the exhausted look in her eyes.

"I have to finish these adjustments." She reminded him. "The weather control system's been on storm rain settings every night for days. I need to get it back to normal."

"How far have you gotten through it?" He asked her.

"Having it running so high for so long has put a strain on the grid." She informed him. "I had to go back into the lines of code and go through them one-by-one to clean them up."

Colonel Truman checked the computer and smiled.

"I think everyone could live with a night of light showers." He told her.

"But I need to get ready for the winter settings in time to force the crops into harvest season." She informed him.

"We all have plenty to eat." He assured her. "I'm sure the farmers will be able to live one more day before winter."

"I am a little tired." She responded. "It shouldn't take more than another couple of hours."

The doors to the elevator slid open and Scott walked into the room. Colonel Truman smiled as he saw him.

"I was just coming over." He told him. "Dr. K called me and said you had some news."

"Well it has been kind of a wild day." Scott conceded. "There are more than a few things you have to know, but I wanted to do this in private."

Colonel Truman's face slipped and his eyes grew wide as Marcus walked into the room. He wavered a little on his feet, close to collapsing as he saw the son he was sure he had lost walking into the room. Vasquez couldn't believe her eyes either. She had seen the picture on Colonel Truman's desk. It wasn't possible.

"Marcus?" He asked him, his voice cracking a little as he looked at him, surveying him with his eyes in disbelief. Marcus nodded as he approached him slowly. Colonel Truman came close enough to lay a hand on him, confirming that it was no illusion. Without another word, they fell into each other's arms, embracing each other passionately. The three of them had much to discuss, but right now all that mattered was that Marcus was back. Vasquez had gathered the last of her belongings and made her way to the elevator avoiding them. She was a little surprised as Scott joined her.

"Aren't you going to talk with them?" She asked him Scott just looked over to where Colonel Truman took Marcus to a seat to hear the full story behind his miraculous return and sighed, shaking his head.

"They need time." He told her, hitting the button to take the elevator down. "I'm sure I won't be missed."

Back at the Garage, the silence was becoming a little awkward as Hicks tried to find something to say to the Silver Ranger. She just kept her back turned to him, holding onto the device as though her life depended on it. Eventually Hicks reached over, snatching it from her and throwing it aside.

"Gemma, will you just talk to me please?" He begged her. She looked at him a little annoyed, before settling into the couch, crossing her arms in front of herself defiantly. "I'm sorry."

"You've said that already." She reminded him. "Is that all?"

"Gemma, I didn't think. I should have considered how this would make you feel." He continued. "I want you to forgive me."

"Fine, you're forgiven!" She snapped. "Now if you don't mind..."

"Gemma, I hurt you I get that but I want to make it right." He told her. "The thing is, I haven't really had anyone in my life that looked out for me like that since the night my family were killed. I always cut myself off because I was so afraid of losing anyone else."

"I know you miss them, but that's no reason to hurt the people that are left behind." She muttered. "The caregiver at Alphabet Soup was the closest thing Gem and I had to a mother. I miss her all the time, but I still don't..."

"Why did you kiss me?" He interrupted her. Gemma looked at him a little taken aback.

"What?"

"Why did you kiss me?" He asked again, pressing the issue.

"You know why." She responded.

"I want to hear it." He pushed on. "Why did you do it?"

She thought about it for a while before answering. She had taken the opportunity while it was there, while Hicks wasn't in a position to stop her to act.

"I like you." She whispered. "You know that, I've told you that before."

She sighed and thought about how she had been feeling about him, knowing that these were the feelings that had led to her going after him, the very feelings she felt he had used to force her to act.

"I've liked you since I first saw you." She continued. "I admit that at first it was just because I thought you were cute but over time it was more than that. I started noticing little things that I really admired. I found myself thinking about you, even when you weren't there. I got nervous any time I saw you. When you weren't at the apartment when you said you'd be, I could hardly breathe. When I found out you were at Ronan's hideout, I couldn't think straight. All I could think about was the fact you were in danger, that's why I came for you myself instead of telling the others."

"I have to admit, when we first got to know each other, I never knew what to make of you." He told her weakly. "You were so loud and cheerful and...I didn't know what to make of you but over time, I..."

"Don't patronise me!" She snarled, pulling away from him.

"I'm not trying to insult your intelligence. God knows you're way smarter than I am. It would be pointless." He continued. "I'm just trying to be honest with you."

"Well that would be a first." She grumbled. "Go on then, what are you trying to say?"

"Since I started to get to know you, to appreciate you were more than just the crazy girl who liked to blow stuff up; I haven't really known what to feel about you." He admitted. "You've done so much for me, and you're so kind and thoughtful. You always thought about my feelings and tried to help me. I started to think about you differently. We became friends at a time I wasn't sure I'd ever want friends again. You broke through every barrier I put up around myself, almost forced me to be happy."

He picked up the device she had been working on and turned it over in his hands, uncertain as to what it was. It confused him almost as much as his feelings.

"When you kissed me, I felt guilty because I knew I had used you. I knew you'd be hurt when you figured it out." He looked at her a little a little sadly. "But there was a part of me that would also a little glad that I'd hurt you, that almost wanted you to turn away."

"Why?" She asked him.

"I haven't just been thinking about you as a friend." He told her. "I've had...other thoughts about you too, but it's just so confusing."

"What's confusing about it?" She asked him. "D...do you like me or not?"

"It's not that simple. I do like you. I smile just when I think about you, I feel happy when I'm around you...but then I also feel a little guilty." He told her. "I never expected to be happy again. In some ways, I feel like I'm cheating on Jessica."

"Your wife?" She asked him, remembering Hicks telling her about his family. He nodded in response. "So what does this mean?"

"I don't know." He replied sadly as he looked at her. "I really wish I had a better answer for you, that I could tell you where you stand, but I don't know myself."

"What you did still hurts." She told him as she took his hand. "Thanks for being honest with me. I know that can't have been easy."

"So what does that mean for us?" He asked her. "Are we...alright?"

"We'll just have to wait and see." She replied, squeezing his hand slightly. Hicks just smiled at her, impressed and relieved by her understanding. He handed her back the device. "So what is this anyway?"

"It's the remote for the TV." She informed him. "For some reason the channel buttons don't work properly." Hicks just laughed and shook his head.

"Don't ever change Gemma." He chuckled. "Don't ever change."


	50. The Truman Family

Colonel Truman sat with Marcus late into the night, still unable to believe that the greatest of miracles had occurred. His beloved Marcus, his first born son had returned to him after all this time. It was as though everything he could ever have wished for, every prayer he'd ever say had been answered all at once.

He poured two glasses of wine from his private stash and handed one to Marcus. He accepted it, casting a gaze over to the bottle.

"The 1876?" He asked his father, looking up at him. "That bottle was given to you by grandpa when you made Sergeant. It's been in the family for years."

"He got it from his grandfather. He brought it back from his first warzone. He picked it up from his first mission..."

"He stole it you mean." Marcus interrupted him. Colonel Truman just looked at him and laughed.

"In war we call that salvaging." He reminded his son. "He salvaged this from the first village they liberated. The rest of the building was destroyed, but this bottle was the only thing that was still intact in the wreckage. After that day, he made it through three tours without a scratch. He was convinced it was blessed."

"So it's been passed down to every Truman male ever since." Marcus concluded the story he had been told many times. "I never thought I'd see you open it."

"I don't think any Truman ever expected it to be opened." Colonel Truman replied with a smile. "If getting my son back isn't a special occasion, then I don't know what is."

He paused as Marcus took a sip, before nodding his head in approval.

"It's good." He replied.

"So how is this possible?" Colonel Truman asked him. "In the recording you said the ejector seat misfired. How did you get out of the plane?"

"I didn't." Marcus informed him. "It ploughed into a sand dune. That softened the impact enough that I survived. I must have been out for hours, maybe even a day or two, I don't know, all my equipment was fried, so I had no idea how long I had been out there. By the time I cut myself out of my harness and got out of the cockpit, I had no idea where the city was."

"How did you survive?" Colonel Truman asked him. Marcus recalled the first few hours after he regained consciousness.

"My compass was broken in the crash, so I had no idea which way was North. The plane got all turned around in the crash, so I had no idea which direction the city was in, so for the first couple of hours I tried to repair the radio, but it was hopeless. I knew my emergency rations wouldn't last, so eventually I just chose a direction and started walking."

"I guess you had a better chance with that plan than just waiting." Colonel Truman commented.

"I walked for as long as I could. When my rations ran out, I was sure I was done for until I saw some tents. I thought some survivors must have been out there looking for Corinth, so I got closer. By the time I realised the camp was full of Grinders, it was too late. I fought off as many of them as I could..."

"It's alright son. No one could have expected you to win against such odds." Colonel Truman said comfortingly. Dillon had described the camps where humans were made into Venjix hybrids. He knew that even if he had been in full health it would have been impossible for him to face those odds alone.

"I fought as long as I could. I had taken down a few of them but there were too many of them. I thought I was a goner, but they didn't finish me. They dragged me inside where they showed me to some big black robot..."

"Killobyte." Colonel Truman surmised. Marcus nodded. "He added me to the D-series infiltrator programme."

He pulled off his jacket, showing his father the scars covering his arms. Colonel Truman looked at them in horror.

"They made you...like Dillon and Tenaya?" He asked him. "But...the scars..."

"I was the one you knew as D46." Marcus told him. Colonel Truman looked at him a little curiously. "After they gave me the physical implants...made me stronger...made me into a weapon, they were going to take me to the fortress to have my mind conditioned. When the Grinders tried to take me from the pod, I knew that might be my only chance, so I lashed out. The thing just smashed into a thousand pieces. When I saw the others, I thought about freeing them, but I knew I couldn't. There were too many guards, so I ran."

"You did the right thing." Colonel Truman told him. Marcus shook his head.

"How could that have been the right thing?" He asked him. "I remember the first pod I came to. It was Dillon's. I can remember the look in his eyes. He was begging me to let him go, to break him out of that place. If I hadn't run, if I had freed them, then maybe he and his sister wouldn't have lost their memories, their lives."

"If you had stopped to free the others, then you would have been recaptured, maybe even killed." Colonel Truman told him. "All those people you found and saved in the wastes would have been hunted down and killed by Venjix's hunter squadrons. You would have accomplished nothing."

"By the time I got clear of the factory and into the wastes, I didn't know what to do. I was so confused and scared. I could remember everything they had done to me. I wasn't human anymore. I was a monster." He explained. Not long afterwards I was found by some nomads. They were people who got lost trying to find Corinth. A hunter squadron had found them and were about to destroy them. I laid waste to them all in minutes. They were so grateful to me, they let me join them and share their supplies. I swore to protect them, to do everything I could to destroy Venjix. We continued to look for Corinth, and in that time we salvaged some weapons, and liberated some labour camps. Eventually some of the others started to lose hope and rumours that Corinth didn't exist, that it had been destroyed and we were all that was left started to grow a little louder. Eventually we stopped looking and started setting up a community instead, making a new life for ourselves."

"It sounds like you did well on that account." Colonel Truman complimented him. "All the people that came back were alive, they were healthy. You did everything you promised."

"I just needed to see you to tell you that I'm not coming home just yet." He continued. "I need to figure some things out first. I'm going to admit myself to the asylum."

"Marcus, you..."

"I'm not the same man I was dad, what happened out there changed me. It turned me into someone I didn't even recognise, someone I hate." He explained as he thought about it. "I have blood on my hands, innocent blood."

"What are you talking about?" Colonel Truman asked his son.

"I killed all the other D-series infiltrators." He told him. "I found a camp where they were making more. I killed them all. I blamed them for what Venjix had done to me. I became the monster I believed I was."

"Son, in war..."

"When I heard Tenaya was pregnant, my first thought was to destroy her and ensure the baby would never be born. I was so blinded by my hatred that I was convinced the child was going to be evil." He admitted. He looked to his father, almost in tears the guilt weighing on his heart heavily. "What kind of monster must I have been to want to kill an unborn child? Venjix didn't turn me into a monster, I let myself become one. I don't want to live like that."

"I understand, and you know I'll be there for you every step of the way." Colonel Truman told him, pulling his son into his grip and holding him. "Whatever it takes, I'll help you."

Scott arrived back in the Garage to find the main room deserted. It wasn't especially late, it had only just turned dark outside a few hours ago, so he was sure they couldn't be in bed just yet.

As he approached the lab and slid the door open, he hard the sound of a few familiar voices arguing.

"No, it doesn't go there, the instructions say put peg A in slot B!" Summer snapped as she shook the instructions impatiently.

"I told you it doesn't fit. Are you sure you're reading it right?" Dr. K complained as Gem and Gemma started looking through some of the parts scattered on the floor.

"How many times do I have to tell you I've laid them out in order?" Flynn asked in a slightly frustrated tone. "If you keep moving all the parts we'll never get this thing built right. Put them back!"

"You don't have to yell." Gem whined, putting a couple of pieces back down. Scott just laughed from the door as he watched them struggling with the contents of the box Summer and Dillon had brought home from the store.

"What's this?" He asked them.

"We're trying to figure out how to put this crib together." Summer informed him, showing him the instructions. "It isn't going well."

"I can see that." He continued to chuckle. "You have a mechanic and three geniuses and you still can't put this together?"

"Trust me, robotics and theoretical time field manipulation are simple compared to flat pack furniture." Dr. K grumbled as she lifted her hand, realising to her frustration she had accidentally glued it to one of the sheets of newspaper they were using to spare her lab floor from damage.

"If you're so brilliant, why don't you figure it out?" Summer muttered, thrusting the instructions into his chest, before storming off. Dillon quickly dropped what he was doing and followed her. He could see that the whole process had gotten a little bad-tempered, and he was sure that Summer had gotten a little fed up of having her ability to read instructions called into question. He was also sure she and Dillon would probably have said a few regrettable things to each other in their frustration. No doubt they were going to have t kiss and make up. He shook his head as he got a mental image he really wished he hadn't.

"Look, they say too many cooks spoil the broth. Maybe you're just having too may people contributing ideas at once." Scott suggested. "Flynn, could you go ad check my car or something? Gem, Gemma, how about you…go somewhere else and try not to blow anything up for a while?"

The three just left without another word, knowing all too well that that he probably just wanted to spend a little time with Dr. K. She finally managed to free herself from the sticky newspaper and returned to the project as Scott started to survey the plans.

"I think I see the problem." He told her, pulling a couple of sections apart. "This is the end piece, not the base."

"I'm glad someone knows what they're doing." She muttered. "How do you understand these instructions?"

"The same way you understand all that stuff you wrote on the whiteboard when you tried to explain how the Ranger suits work." He responded with a weak smile. "I have years of experience building flat packs. My dad was never into IKEA."

"If I remember correctly you went cross-eyed when I explained that." Dr. K recalled with a smirk. "Then you asked where I kept the aspirin."

"I can't help it if I'm not a genius." He replied, grabbing the glue and beginning to assemble parts of the frame. "I guess as long as you do the thinking and I handle the furniture we'll work out just fine."

"Scott, why do you always do that?" She asked him, looking a little troubled by what he said.

"Dr. K it was a joke." He replied.

"No, you always do that. Whenever someone gives you a compliment, you always put yourself down." She pointed out as she put a hand on his arm. "You're not dumb."

"This crib isn't going to build itself." He sad, ignoring her as he grabbed the next piece. Dr. K just snatched it from him.

"The baby can sleep with its mother for one night I'm sure." Dr. K sighed. "I thought you'd be with Marcus and your father."

"I've already see Marcus." Scott told her. "I just wanted to give them a little time."

"You're his son too." Dr. K reminded him as she put an arm around him. "You just got your brother back. I would understand you wanting to spend time with him."

"It isn't a big deal." Scott rushed out, reaching for another piece. "Marcus is back. He'll be in the institution tomorrow. I can see him any time."

"I know what this is about." She told him sympathetically. "You're worried."

"What would I have to worry about? Marcus is alive!" He snapped at her, rounding on her. She shook her head sadly.

"It's not Marcus you're worried about. It's your father." She responded gently.

"My dad's just fine Dr. K, I saw him tonight when I dropped Marcus off." He told her coldly, finishing off a side-section of the crib. He set it aside before looking at the instructions again. "He was perfectly happy. He was delighted t see Marcus back, just like any father would be."

"That's not exactly what I meant." She told him. "Scott…"

"Dr. K can we just drop it? Everything's fine, I promise." He barked a little too aggressively. He could see from the wide-eyed look she gave him that he had hurt her. She was only trying to help, but he wasn't in the mood to talk about his situation. "I'm sorry, but I really don't feel like talking about this. Could we just concentrate on this?"

"Sure." She replied a little sadly. "Attach side section to end piece F1."

Up in their room, Ziggy and Tenaya were already discovering the joys of new parenthood. Little Alex had slept with them for a time, but now he was screaming the place down. His face had turned scarlet with the exertion of his scream. They took turns walking him around the room, trying to comfort him.

"What's wrong with him?" Tenaya asked aloud, hoping to get an answer. "He just won't stop crying. I've changed him, so he can't need another change already."

"I've tried everything I know." Ziggy replied, thinking about it for a moment. "Maybe he's hungry?"

"Right, maybe that's it." She commented, wondering how she could have missed something so obvious. She started to rummage around in the bags Summer had given her, trying to find some formula. "Ziggy, could you give me a hand here?"

"Tenaya, what are you doing?" He asked her.

"I'm trying to feed Alex!" She answered, handing him to Ziggy. "How do you make this stuff up?"

"Ten, you're not meant to use that stuff right away." He told her. "For a while, it's probably best you feed him. It's better for his health."

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Tenaya asked him angrily. Ziggy shook his head.

"No, I mean YOU need to feed him." Ziggy clarified. "You know you are…better equipped…than I am for that."

As she stared at him blankly, Ziggy realised she hadn't gotten the idea yet. Finally the penny dropped and she looked almost afraid.

"You mean…?"

"That was kind of the idea." He replied.

"Ziggy…I…I…" She looked away a little ashamed and embarrassed. She hadn't had the same total recall Dillon had; there were still large parts of her memory that was missing to her, and a few things she still didn't understand. "I don't know how."

Ziggy was going to answer, but stopped as he realised to his horror that he didn't know either. He had grown up in the orphanage. He had seen kids come and go all the time; some of them were babies when they arrived, but none of the staff nursed them. They were already on formula when they arrived.

"Oh my God, what kind of mother doesn't even know how to feed her own baby?" Tenaya asked in a panic, her voice cracking as her tears began. Ziggy ran to her side.

"Tenaya, I don't know either. This is something parents learn." He assured her. "I'm not sure how but…Dr. K!" He grabbed her and dragged her from the room quickly.

As they got downstairs, he found Dr. K and Scott still assembling the cot when he got there.

"Dr. K, we have a little problem." Ziggy told her, barely beating Alex's screams. "Alex is hungry."

"So feed him." Dr. K suggested.

"Neither of us knows how." Tenaya admitted sadly. Dr. K just looked at them.

"You are aware I haven't had any children aren't you?" She asked them.

"I thought you might know something, or have some medical journals or something." Ziggy explained. "Please."

"Come with me." She told Tenaya, gesturing to another part of the lab. Tenaya took her son from Ziggy and followed Dr. K. Ziggy knelt down with Scott, surveying the work in progress on the crib.

"Mind if I help?" Ziggy asked him. He flicked a thumb in the direction of Tenaya and Dr. K. "This is kind of the part where I can't help."

"How are you with flat packs?" Scott asked, a little afraid the debacle of the four Ranger wrecking crew would start up again.

"Mom always got me to help her with the furniture." Ziggy told him. "I know my way round a flat pack."

Meanwhile, over in the corner, Tenaya was listening to an excerpt from one of Dr. K's medical programmes, getting instructed on how to feed Alex. She just followed the guide, finally beginning to feed him, but the sound just drowned out as she felt her heart breaking. Something as simple as feeding the child, something that came naturally to most had been a complete mystery to her. A tear came to her eye as she held her son closely. What kind of mother could she possibly be? What kind of future could she give her baby?


	51. The Newest Family Troubles

The next morning, Summer woke up in Dillon's arms. Since the baby had arrived, everyone had to juggle rooms around, since it was considered wise to let Ziggy, Tenaya and Alex have a room to themselves. Given the prospect of having a newborn baby in the room screaming at all hours of the night, no one disagreed. Of course one of the benefits of this arrangement was this. Gem and Gemma still had a room together, and Scott now had a room to himself. Of course this was because rather than share a room with the team leader, Dillon had opted to move into Summer's room. Feeling his arms around her, she wasn't exactly complaining about the new arrangement.

"Good morning." Dillon whispered in her ear as he kissed her, causing her to stir slightly in his grip. She smiled broadly and turned around in his arms, facing him.

"Good morning." She replied gently. He looked down on her, feeling content with his new lot in life. He couldn't explain what was different, but since Alex had been born, everything seemed so much brighter. His sister was happy and healthy, his nephew was amazing to him, hell, even Ziggy seemed to bother him less. Summer had been amazing through the whole thing, and he was only too happy that he was planning to make arrangements for their wedding. "So are we getting up?"

"Don't you want to stay here a little while longer?" She asked him with a little grin. "I could stay here all day."

"Well if we don't do that, we can't do that shopping we talked about last night." He reminded her. "I would have thought I'd need to tie you up to stop you dragging us to the stores."

"Well that was before the whole crib incident." She replied with a little pout.

"You're still going on about that?" He asked her a little wearily. "I thought we'd gotten over this. We apologised about this."

"You were pretty mean." She continued to tease him.

"You were pretty mean too." He commented. "I didn't know you knew names like that."

"You were making fun of me." She reminded him. "You know how much I hate that."

"Of course you seemed to enjoy making up as much as I did." He said in a small laugh, pulling in towards her to kiss her. She turned away from him playfully.

"No. I'm not getting up." She told him. "Not until you say it."

"If you don't, we can't go shopping with Ziggy, Tenaya and Alex." He reminded her. "We can't sort out that other thing we talked about."

"Not until you say it." She reiterated. Dillon just groaned and shook his head, rubbing his eyes and the bridge of his nose as he realised he was onto a losing battle.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you." He told her.

"And?" She pressed on, grinning as she waited to hear it. Dillon just rolled his eyes.

"I'm the King of the Asshats." He responded wearily. Summer turned back around, rolling on top of him. She kissed him deeply and passionately, taking pleasure in his submission to her.

"I'm sorry too." She replied cheerfully. "I know I can be a little humourless when people make fun of me. I don't take constructive criticism well."

"I think it's time we were getting ready." He told her, suppressing the urge to comment on her understatement. "By the time we've had a shower and get dressed, I'm sure Alex will have woken up his parents."

Meanwhile, in the other room, Ziggy was woken up as Alex started to cry again, rousing him from his sleep. He looked around, finding Tenaya nowhere in sight. He could see a little sliver of light under the door to the bathroom and guessed that was where she was. He got up and crossed over to the drawer they were using as a makeshift crib until the glue on the crib he and Scott had built could dry. He picked him up, holding Alex closely and started to bounce him gently as he tried to silence him.

"It's alright little guy, daddy's here." He said soothingly to his son as he walked around the room with him. He ran a hand across his diaper, feeling it with his fingers. "OK, that just can't be natural. Where do you keep it all?"

He pulled out some baby wipes and powder, before unfastening the straps on his diaper. He had been at the orphanage for so long; he had some experience with babies. He had been a big brother figure to many of those that came into the orphanage after him, and he had seen his mother do this many times. He deposited the diaper in a nearby trash can, before cleaning him up.

"It's alright, this won't take long and then you'll feel better, I promise." He whispered to his son, finishing up with the wipes, depositing them in the trash can too. He reached for the powder, gently dusting it over him, and ensuring he was clean and dry before looking out another diaper. He laid his son on it, tickling him gently to calm him as he strapped him into it. "See, good as new. That feels better now doesn't it?"

He picked up the baby and made his way to the bathroom door, knocking on it gently.

"Tenaya, it's fine, Alex just needed a change. I took care of it." He assured her. "Tenaya?"

"Thanks Ziggy, I heard him but I was a little caught up." She told him from the other side of the door.

"Well we need some more stuff for him, so we need to go out again today." He reminded her as he looked out an outfit for Alex from the couple Summer had bought the night before. "I'll just get us some breakfast. Maybe when we're done shopping we can introduce Alex to the rest of the family."

He knew that he had to get that over with sooner or later. Because of the nature of his delivery, Bob, Helen, Chas and Brie still didn't know that he had been born yet. It was only natural that he wanted the family to meet his son.

"That sounds nice. I'm sure Alex will love to meet the others." Tenaya responded. "I just need to get cleaned up. Could you take Alex and start on the breakfast?"

"Sure." Ziggy replied, making his way to the door. "I'll see you down there."

Tenaya heard the door close and sighed, feeling a sense of relief that Ziggy had left. She had heard Alex screaming before Ziggy had, but she hadn't been in the bathroom. Not when he started screaming anyway. She had retreated to the en-suite when she heard him, unable to face her son. When she heard him calling for her, all she felt was a sense of dread.

Ever since the night before, when she had found herself unable to ascertain the problem when he started crying, she had become uneasy around him. It took her so long to figure out that he was hungry that she felt like a failure. It was so obvious and yet, she had missed it. Even when she finally figured out what the problem was, she was left feeling even more lost and useless. She didn't even know how to feed him.

When she had first laid eyes on him, he was so beautiful he took her breath away. He was so fragile and dependent on her, every instinct in her heart cried out for her to protect him and care for him. Now though, she was so sure that she couldn't possibly handle the responsibility. She knew nothing about children, or how to care for them. Ziggy had taken her to see the kids in the orphanage a few times, but that was entirely different. All she had to do was play with them and talk to them. She never had this kind of responsibility for their wellbeing.

She sat in the corner and pulled her knees to her chest, weeping softly. She knew little if anything of her own life. All she knew was being cared for and looked after by her mother and Dillon. It was small wonder she had no ability to care for others. There was no way she could be a mother to Alex. There was another knock on the door a short time later.

"Tenaya, its Summer." The Yellow Ranger called through. "Dillon and I had a few errands to run and thought you might like a hand shopping for Alex."

"I'll be right there." Tenaya answered her, wiping away a couple of tears. She got up and went to the sink, running the tap and washed her face, erasing the evidence of her tears. She didn't want the others to know how weak she was. She was grateful the others were in his life. Summer had fallen for the little guy hard; she could see that in her eyes when she looked at him. Dillon was always there for her, and Ziggy would do anything for Alex. It was just as well, because she was no use to him. He would probably be better off without her.

She finally straightened herself out enough to face Summer and opened the door to the bathroom, facing her.

"Are you alright?" Summer asked her, noticing she was a little worse for wear. "You seem a little..."

"I'm fine, I just didn't sleep well." She interrupted Summer as she quickly looked out an outfit. "I'll just be a couple of minutes. Save me a waffle or something would you?"

"OK, as long as you're sure." Summer replied, backing away out of the room as Tenaya started getting changed. She could tell that Tenaya wasn't telling her the full story, but there wasn't much she could do to make her if she didn't want to. She had never known any babies growing up in her sheltered existence, indeed Brie and Tenaya were the first people she had known that were pregnant. All she knew about the process was what she had learned in sex education and from her parents, but she knew that it would have to be a huge adjustment. She just hoped that Tenaya was still getting used to her new routine.

Tenaya came down the stairs, finding the others gathered, having breakfast and sat with them as Summer handed her a waffle.

"Are you feeling alright?" Ziggy asked his girlfriend, seeing her for the first time that morning.

"I'm fine." She lied, beginning to eat.

"You did go through a lot when you had him." He commented sympathetically. "Are you sure you're alright? You were in there for quite a while."

"Do you really want a detailed account of what I was doing in there?" She snapped, rounding on him. She felt a little regret as she saw the shocked looks from the others. She knew he was only concerned about her. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired."

"Well I guess that's to be expected." Ziggy responded, taking some OJ. "I'm a little tired too. This little guy has a really healthy set of lungs. You guys are all lucky the bedroom doors are soundproof."

"Well that wasn't what I originally had in mind when I designed the building that way, but it is a bonus." Dr. K conceded.

"So what does everyone have planned for the day?" Gem asked them. "I was planning on a pretty intense workout."

"Hicks asked me to come over today." Gemma told them all, stirring her muesli absent-mindedly, not noticing that as she day-dreamed, it had been sitting so long that it had turned into a rather unappetising looking soggy mush. "I'll be back in time for dinner."

"We were going out to get some more stuff for the baby." Ziggy declared happily as he finished his breakfast. "Then I was thinking it would be great if he met his grandparents."

"I'm sure Helen would love that." Summer gushed as she thought about it.

"Yeah, dad will too no doubt." Ziggy chipped in. "He got home from the hospital a while ago, but he's still not quite up to speed. He's still getting used to life at the orphanage."

"What about Chas and Brie?" Dillon asked him. "Have you planned on telling them yet?"

"I was going to call them while we were out to arrange something." Ziggy replied, putting his arm around Tenaya. "We're really looking forward to it, aren't we?"

Tenaya just gave a quick smile and nodded, before turning back to her breakfast.

"Well Summer and I have made a decision too." Dillon told them, putting his arm around her and pulling her in closer. "After we shop for the little guy, we were planning on making a few stops ourselves. We're thinking of moving forward with the wedding plans."

"I was going to ask the military chaplain to perform a small ceremony." Summer told them, squeezing him gently. "I just want a small ceremony, us and a few friends."

"Well that sounds great." Gem exclaimed excitedly. "Will there be fireworks?"

"I...guess we could have..."

"I need to start putting some plans together!" He yelled getting up from the table and heading to the lab. Dillon just shook his head in disbelief.

"Why do I get the feeling I'll regret that?" He asked.

"Anyway, the stores should be open by now." Ziggy remarked, seeing that Tenaya was finished with her waffle. "Flynn, can we borrow the Hummer?"

"Only if I can borrow the Fury." He replied, extending a hand to Dillon. He handed over the keys. "Sam's got similar ideas to Summer."

"Really?" Summer asked, with a slightly excited tone in her voice. "Do you think she would be interested in a double wedding?"

"I don't know. I could always ask." He replied with a shrug.

"Maybe we can get together for dinner." She suggested. "Dillon and I were planning on going to that Italian place near the river bank."

"I think she'd like that." Flynn replied, getting up from the table. "I'll call you on your cell phone if she agrees."

Flynn got into the Fury and drove from the Garage. Scott finished with his own breakfast ad gathered his dishes, shoving them into the dishwasher.

"I have some stuff to do. Try not to get into too much trouble." He told the others as he walked away. Dr. K grabbed her own dishes, shoving them away too and followed him. Summer turned back to the others.

"So, which shop do you want t hit first?" Summer asked enthusiastically.

"I think we should go somewhere we can get a stroller first." He replied with a small laugh. "Alex isn't too heavy yet, but my arms are getting a little tired…"

"Would you like to hold him?" Tenaya asked Summer quickly. The Yellow Ranger's eyes lit up at the prospect, and she extended her arms out towards Ziggy. He handed him gently to Summer, but gave Tenaya a small look. Summer took the boy and cradled him softly in her arms.

"He didn't even wake up." She whispered, looking into his tiny face in awe. "Dillon, isn't he cute?"

"I guess he gets that from our side of the family." He joked, nudging Ziggy gently. "Come on, this shopping won't do itself."

With that, they all slowly started to gather their jackets, getting ready for the day ahead. Summer was delighted to be allowed this time with the baby. Dillon couldn't help smiling as he saw this. He could almost see it being their turn some day, with Summer carrying their baby just as carefully. As they got into the Hummer, Ziggy approached Tenaya, placing a hand on her arm as she started to strap herself in.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" He asked her. "We could always put off going to see mom and dad."

"I told you, I'm fine." She grumbled. "Come on Ziggy, let's just go."

He got into the driver's seat, but he was a little unhappy about the way Tenaya was acting. He just wanted to know what was troubling her.

Dr. K caught up with Scott in the public park, where there was a crew replacing Marcus' sword in the memorial. Scott watched them replacing the broken security glass, and felt himself conflicted by the gesture. It was all a lie. Marcus wasn't dead, he was in an asylum only a few blocks from where he was sitting, but he knew that his dad had to keep things running smoothly.

The people of Corinth needed the image of Marcus, the Hero of Corinth to stay alive. They needed the image to rally the people and maintain hope. Of course they would reveal all eventually, but only when he was fit to come back fit and well, ready to be the Marcus Truman everyone expected. Admitting that the hero who had stood as an example of hope, of the spirit of courage that kept the population going in their darkest hour had returned as a damaged, tarnished man was only going to serve to demoralise the public, so his father had ensured that Marcus' return and treatment was kept under wraps.

"It's just a piece of stone and glass." Dr. K reminded him, taking a seat next to him. "It can offer you no solace. You know what will."

"Marcus is the symbol of everything great as usual." Scott stated sarcastically. "Even now his image is what everyone rallies behind."

"Scott, you shouldn't do this to yourself." She told him. "You know…"

"You didn't see the way he looked at him." Scott interrupted her. "When Marcus walked into the room, nothing else mattered. He looked straight through me like I wasn't even there."

"Scott, your father loves you, you know that." She assured her. "I've seen the way you are with each other. You've grown so much closer over the past year…"

"Then Marcus comes back and I get swept under the rug as usual." Scott snapped as she moved closer. "He paid attention to me and he took comfort in me, but now he's back…"

"Scott…"

"I've done everything that's ever been asked of me and more!" He roared in his frustration. "I've fought every single day for this city, and all of that was ignored in a second!"

"Scott, I'm sure it wasn't like that!" Dr. K told him sympathetically. "He was sure he had lost Marcus for good. It was only natural he'd be overjoyed t see him come back."

"What about me?" Scott asked her angrily. "I'm the one who's been here. I'm the one who's worked his ass off to get his approval. I've saved this city so many times, I can't even count. What else am I meant to do?"

Dr. K couldn't answer him. She could understand Colonel Truman's excitement at having Marcus back, but that didn't mean it didn't re-awaken old insecurities in Scott. For so long, he hadn't needed to live in Marcus' shadow. He and Colonel Truman had gotten close, but with Marcus coming back, he wasn't sure what it meant for their relationship. Scott held her, watching them build the monument to the lie about his brother. He was happy that his brother was back, but at the same time he had to wonder what this would mean for his position in his father's life. Now his precious golden boy Marcus was back, what would he need Scott for?


	52. Alex Grover

Summer prodded Tenaya in the ribs, rousing her attention as she found yet another outfit she thought would look cute on Alex. Tenaya looked a little frustrated and tired by now, they had been shopping for a good couple of hours. Ziggy and Dillon were away, checking out car seats for safety ratings.

"Look at this one, its adorable!" Summer gushed as she shoved it under Tenaya's nose. It was a little blue all-in-one costume with a teddy-bear motif stitched into the left breast. "Oh he'd look beautiful in this."

"Fine, put it in the cart with the others." Tenaya sighed, waving off Summer's excitement dismissively. She could understand why she was excited, it was the first time a baby had come into her family since...well...her basically, but she didn't feel the same excitement herself. If anything all she felt whenever she looked at her son was dread. Summer picked up a little stuffed pig, smiling broadly as she did so.

"This is so cute; I just have to get it for him!" She shrieked as she held it to her chest. "Sorry Tenaya, I'm slipping into scary aunt mode aren't I?"

"It's alright, I understand." She muttered as she put some formula into the cart. Summer looked at her a little curiously.

"Aren't you going to feed him?" She asked her. "I would have thought you'd want to for a while at least. It's meant to help with the bonding..."

"I did carry him, how much closer do you think I need to get?" Tenaya asked her sarcastically. "I did give birth to him."

"Tenaya, is everything alright?" Summer asked her. "I know I'm a little excitable about all this, but..."

"Sorry Summer, I guess I'm just tired." Tenaya interrupted her, snatching the pig from Summer and shoving it in the cart. Her shoulders slumped as she looked down on the items with a certain sense of foreboding. "Summer, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, whatever you want." Summer replied, a little curious. Tenaya sighed deeply.

"I something happens to me and Ziggy..."

"Ten..."

"If anything happens to me and Ziggy, I want to know Alex will be alright." She reiterated in a soft voice. "If anything happens, I'd like you and my brother to take care of him."

"Of course we will!" Summer assured her, placing her hand on the small of Tenaya's back. She smiled as she felt the warmth in Summer's touch. All she wanted was to know that her son would be cared for, and she had already proven to herself that she was incapable of the task. Now all she needed to do was remove herself from his life and take out the last obstacle.

"Tenaya, check this out!" Ziggy called out as he arrived with Dillon, carrying a car seat. "This looks perfect for him!"

"It does." She replied quietly, looking at it. Dillon smiled as he looked down at the little guy; resting in the stroller they had bought three stores ago.

"Summer, maybe it's time we went to go and do that little bit of shopping we were talking about." He suggested. "There is a jewellers across the street."

Summer looked to Ziggy and Tenaya, and smiled as she thought about it. As much as she loved the baby, she was so excited about the prospect of arranging the wedding. She put an arm around him.

"I you insist, lead the way handsome." She told him, before handing some money to Ziggy. "That's or my share of the stuff I put in the cart. I guess I got a little...overly enthusiastic."

"I can see that!" He laughed as he took the money from her. The cart was virtually full between outfits, toys and just about everything that a baby could possibly want. It looked more like they were shopping for the orphanage than just for Alex. "We'll see you guys back at the Garage."

As Dillon and Summer left, Ziggy took the cart from Tenaya and pushed it towards the cashier's desk. He chuckled a little as he looked down on the goods in it.

"I think that's every birthday and Christmas covered until he's 21." He joked happily. "I doubt he could want a better aunt and uncle."

"You're right about that." She sighed, thinking about it. "I think Summer's a little disappointed Alex isn't hers."

"Something tells me that we won't be waiting too long after we deal with Venjix before they become members of the parent club." He told her. He drew closer as they got to the cashier's desk. The cashier looked to the baby in Ziggy's arms, smiling.

"He's adorable! How old is he?" She asked them.

"He's only a couple of days old." Ziggy told her as she started ringing up their purchases. Tenaya saw the way she looked at her son and felt a sharp pain in her chest. She knew the way she felt about her son wasn't right. She knew she should be happier, more excited, but she never felt that. All she felt when she looked at him was panic and dread which quickly turned to sadness as she realised she couldn't be what everyone expected of her. She couldn't cope with the awesome responsibility of being a mother to him. She had failed him so much already; she couldn't bear the thought of any harm coming to him because of her. She was only relieved that there were so many others around him that would take better care of him than she could.

"He looks a little like his mommy." The cashier told them. "You must be thrilled."

"Well it's just as well he took his looks from his mom's side of the family." Ziggy chuckled as she finished ringing up their purchases and packing them into bags. "Lord knows I'd hate to inflict that on the little guy."

Tenaya gathered up the bags without a word, before heading out to the hummer. Ziggy just paid for the goods and followed her. Tenaya was just finishing putting the bags into the vehicle when he arrived.

"Ten, could you take Alex for a little bit?" He asked her, presenting the child to her. She looked down on the little boy uneasily, almost like he was possessed.

"I thought you wanted to hold him." She commented.

"I can't exactly drive and hold him at the same time." He replied. Tenaya just groaned and took her son from him, holding him to her chest. "Ten, are you sure everything's alright?"

"Why do you keep asking that?" She asked him.

"Maybe because you haven't touched our son since he was born." He told her. "Ten..."

"If anything was wrong I'd tell you." She mumbled as she got into the passenger seat of the vehicle. Ziggy didn't want to press the issue. As much as he wanted answers to why she was being so distant and defensive, he knew that simply hounding her about it was never going to work. All he could do was hope that soon she would let him know what was going on in her head.

Summer and Dillon went into the jewellers, looking around at the displays as an assistant came to help them.

"Can I help you?" She asked them, looking over them. Summer wrapped an arm around Dillon's waist, pulling him closer.

"We're looking for an engagement ring." She told her. "We could be tempted to go for a couple of wedding rings too."

"I take it you're not planning on waiting too long." The assistant replied with a small laugh. "For what it's worth, I get a feeling when I see couples together, and you look a lot better with him than you did with Chas."

Summer just groaned and rolled her eyes as he reminded them about that incident. Given the public nature of the whole thing, hardly anyone in Corinth didn't know about her near wedding to Chas. It had been in all the newspapers.

"We were hoping to arrange something in the not too distant future." Dillon confirmed as he looked around. "Uh, are these price tickets right?"

"Wow, I knew our salary wasn't great, but I never thought the ring would be this expensive." She gasped, seeing some of the tickets. "It's alright Dillon; I love you that's all that matters. I don't need..."

"I think I might have something." The assistant told them. She presented her hand to Summer, letting her see the rings on her finger. "We have a few solitaires at a very reasonable rate. I got one for my wedding."

"It's beautiful." Summer commented. "Did you get it here?"

"I can show you the display." The assistant assured her, leading her to the section she was referring to.

"Well the prices are a little closer." Summer told her. Dillon just sighed.

"It's alright, you're worth it." He told her. He saw one that he liked the look of, and he pointed it out to the assistant. "Can we try that one?"

She fished it out, and handed it to Dillon. He slipped it onto Summer's finger, finding it a good fit.

"It's beautiful." She gasped as she saw it. "Dillon, are you sure we want to spend this much? I can always..."

"If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right." He told her flatly, looking into her eyes. "We're only going to do this once, so we can afford to be a little extravagant."

"I love it." She told him, looking happily at the ring. "We'll take it."

"It really suits you." The assistant assured them. "I'm sure you'll both be really happy together."

Over at the orphanage, Ziggy arrived, finding Ms. Foster out the front, keeping an eye on the kids as they played in the garden. He still couldn't get over the somewhat bizarre image of Fresno Bob in the garden playing with them. He never thought he'd see him like that, but it looked like he was starting to embrace his new life helping out Ms. Foster. He hadn't looked so young and active in years, even despite the injuries he was recovering from. He got out the car as they came over, hugging his mother and father.

"Ziggy, we were so excited when you said you were coming round!" Ms. Foster shrieked as she released him.

"You said you had a surprise for us." Bob stated as he looked at his son fondly. "What is it?"

Tenaya got out of the hummer, carrying Alex in her arms softly. Both Bob and Helen looked a little confused as they saw him.

"It's kind of a long story, but I'd like to introduce you to your grandson." He told them with a little grin as Tenaya handed him to Helen. "This is Alex."

"But you only told us Tenaya was pregnant a couple of weeks ago." Helen commented. "How is that possible?"

"It doesn't seem real to me either, but I can assure you that it's true." Ziggy told them, recalling the scene vividly. "I helped deliver him."

"Well however it happened, I'm just happy he seems to be healthy." Bob told them as he looked at Tenaya. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." She replied quickly, not looking at him. Ms. Foster looked at her a little curiously as Alex started to whimper a little.

"It sounds like he needs a change." She stated. "Tenaya, could you come with me?"

Tenaya followed her reluctantly as she went inside. Ms. Foster laid out a changing mat, placing Alex down on it softly and started to unfasten his diaper. Tenaya stood in the corner, almost as far from Alex as she could get as his grandmother started cleaning him up.

"How are you really?" She asked as she started wiping him down. Tenaya just shrugged.

"I'm alright I guess." She mumbled. "I guess that's the benefits of being a cyborg."

"I didn't mean physically, I can see you're healthy." Ms. Foster told her. "It is a pretty big thing; I know what it was like when I had Ziggy."

"It's a bit of an adjustment." Tenaya told her. "I suppose I'm a little tired and..."

"Tenaya, you couldn't give him away fast enough." Helen interrupted her. "You practically threw Alex at Bob."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She responded. Helen just looked at her a little unconvinced.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." She replied. "Come over and help me."

"You know what you're doing." Tenaya replied. "I'd just get in the way."

"He's your baby Tenaya; I'm not always going to be here." She reminded her. "It's only natural to be scared."

"I'm not just scared, I'm terrified." She replied sadly. "I don't have any idea what I'm doing."

"Neither did I." Ms. Foster assured her. "No one ever knows what to do when kids come along. There's nothing you can do to prepare for it. It's an awesome responsibility."

"I know all that, it's just...it's too much." Tenaya replied as she looked at Alex. "He deserves a good mom, someone that knows what they're doing, I'm not sure I'm up to it."

"That's how every new parent feels." Helen told her sympathetically as she applied some baby powder, drying Alex off gently. "It's only natural to feel overwhelmed..."

"I didn't even know how to feed him." She admitted as tears began to form in her eyes. "How am I meant to care for him if I don't even know something as basic as that?"

"Trust me; having babies is nothing like it is in the movies. You don't immediately all in love with them and get all deliriously happy around them." She told her. "He constantly screams, he never has a thought about your feelings or if you're tired or sick. He only considers what he needs, and he demands it all right now."

Tenaya just looked at her a little oddly. Ms. Foster just smiled.

"Babies aren't sweet. They're demanding, they're obnoxious and they're selfish." She told her. "It'll change eventually, but I don't think many people appreciate how frustrating and difficult it is."

"But I..."

"When I had Ziggy, it felt like he never stopped crying. I have to admit there were times I thought I had to be the most worthless mother in the world." She continued as she remembered his childhood. "One time I found myself screaming at him. I even considered hurting him to try and shut him up."

"You wanted to hurt him?" Tenaya asked her a little shocked. Ms. Foster just shook her head in response.

"Not really, but the thought came to mind." She told her. "I thought I was a monster for even thinking about hurting him and I didn't forgive myself for days."

"I can't cope with this." She muttered. "It's all too much, I can't do it..."

"You'll amaze yourself with what you can do." Ms. Foster interrupted her, stroking her hair. "Just look at him, he's amazing. I know you'll give everything you have to take care of him."

Tenaya looked at him, smiling as she beheld her son. She reached forward, touching him gently.

"What if it isn't enough?" She asked his grandmother. "What if I'm not good enough?"

"Every mother worries about the same thing." Helen assured her.

"I just keep worrying about everything." Tenaya replied. "What am I meant to tell him when he asks why his mommy doesn't need a jack to lift the car to change a tyre, or why her hand can separate from the rest of her body."

"You just tell him the truth." She responded. "You tell him his mommy's a little different."

"You really think I can handle this?" Tenaya asked her. Helen just smiled at her as she finished strapping on a fresh diaper, picking Alex up.

"No one knows everything at first; it's just something you have to learn." She told her. "I'm sure you'll be just fine."

Tenaya took Alex back from her, smiling a little as she looked at him.

"Give yourself a break, kids are pretty astute." She warned her. "If you're all stressed out and wound up tightly like that, how do you think he's going to feel?"

"I never thought about it like that." Tenaya responded, bobbing him gently in her arms. "I thought he'd be better off without me."

"No child is better off without a mother looking out for them." She replied softly. "You just need to relax and not expect so much from yourself. You know there are plenty of us around to help you."

"That means a lot." She replied. "Thanks Helen."

"You should talk to Ziggy. He needs to know how you feel." Helen told her. "You're a team. You need to work together."

With that, they went back outside, where Ziggy and Bob were greeting Brie and Chas as they arrived. Bob had already started to gather the kids to bring them back inside as they arrived.

"It's been a while Ziggy, what's this news?" Chas asked him. "When you called you said you had a major announcement."

"Well it's kind of a long story, but there's someone we'd like you to meet." He replied as Tenaya stepped closer, presenting Alex to them. "I'd like you to meet the newest member of our family."


	53. Tenaya's Problem

Brie was enjoying getting the chance to hold her young nephew as Chas looked on, marvelling at the image. It was now the final month of her pregnancy, and so the baby could come at any time.

"He's so beautiful." Brie whispered, handing him back to Ziggy.

"How did this happen?" Chas asked him. "I only saw Tenaya a week ago, and she didn't look anywhere near ready to give birth."

"She was kidnapped by Killobyte." Ziggy informed them. "He said he wanted to experiment on the baby, but he didn't want to wait for him to be born, so he injected her with some kind of serum that advanced the pregnancy."

"I'm so jealous." Brie muttered. "You don't have the joy of all those months of carrying him to look forward to."

"Well this way wasn't so much fun either." Tenaya assured her. "I went through eight months of pregnancy in one night. According to Dr. K if it hadn't been for the implants I probably wouldn't have survived the strain it put on my body."

"Well I'm pleased everything worked out for the best." Bob told them as he looked over at his grandson. "He's completely amazing."

Tenaya looked over to Ms. Foster, sharing an understanding. Helen was giving her an opportunity to tell Ziggy how she had been feeling since the birth, so he could hear it from Tenaya. She knew that Ziggy and the others suspected something wasn't exactly right with her, but so far she had done everything she could to avoid the subject. She was grateful that Helen seemed to be giving her the chance to approach the subject on her own.

"Anyway, why don't you have Alex stay for dinner?" Bob suggested. "I think it's only right he meets the whole family."

"Summer and Dillon..."

"He means the kids." Ziggy interrupted Brie. "I grew up in orphanages. These kids mean the world to me; they're basically my brothers and sisters."

"Well it looks like this little guy's got a seriously large family." Chas commented with a little grin as he thought about it. "Talk about having a lot of people looking out for you."

"He really does." Ziggy responded, causing Tenaya to smile a little. She had felt so overwhelmed before. Seeing the way they were all gathered around, she could see that she had been looking at it all wrong.

"I was actually wondering if I could clean up a little before dinner." Tenaya told them. "Ziggy could you come with me?"

Ziggy looked between Tenaya and his mother, sensing something between them that let him know that something was going on. He had an idea that something was going on with Tenaya, but so far she hadn't been able to open up to him about it. He had a feeling his mom had done her usual stellar job of interfering, and that Tenaya was finally ready to tell him what was going on.

"Would you mind taking Alex for a little while?" Ziggy asked Chas, handing over the baby. Chas accepted him, grateful for the opportunity to get used to handling a baby before Brie gave birth. Tenaya and Ziggy made their way upstairs, into one of the main bathrooms and closed the door. Ziggy turned to face her.

"What do you want to talk about?" He asked her. Tenaya sat on the edge of the bath, and gestured for Ziggy to do likewise. She took a deep breath as she tried to sort through the thoughts racing through her brain and the conflicting, destructive emotions tearing at every inch of her heart.

"Ziggy, I want to talk about Alex." She began sadly. "I think I might have a problem."

Ziggy held her hand and just sat, waiting on her to begin. He could already see from her expression that things were a lot more serious than she had so far allowed herself to show. He was just happy that she was finally trying to tell him what he problem was.

In an Italian restaurant across town, Dillon and Summer arrived to find Flynn and Sam waiting for them. He had called them a little while ago to confirm their plans to meet up after talking to Sam. They had already tipped the head waiter to get them a good table.

"Well now I feel kind of bad. We invited you out, and you guys end up paying for a decent table." Summer commented as they sat down. The head waiter offered to take their jackets, but Summer and the others refused. They knew that it was possible they'd be called on to go into battle, and it wasn't as though they would be able to wait at the cloak room for their coats to be returned if there was an attack bot sent into the city. The head waiter would probably have insisted, but she was sure having their jackets hanging on the back of their chairs would do his business no harm at all. After all, who wouldn't want their customers to know that the Power Rangers ate in their restaurant? "How's work been?"

"It's been pretty busy, but I think we've broken the back of it." She told him as she made herself comfortable. "Fortunately Venjix has been quiet. We've still gotten a little bit of a backlog from the gang war. I'm telling you, at one point we didn't have enough cold storage. We had to borrow some from..."

Her words tailed off as she looked around. Sometimes this was a little bit of an occupational hazard. She sometimes forgot that what was considered 'small talk' among her peers at the forensic lab would be uncomfortable conversation, especially when people were getting ready to eat. She doubted the others needed to hear that they had been forced to borrow storage space from the ice cream parlour across the street while they identified all the dead, not to mention it would be unlikely to do his business any good once people found out his freezers had held more than just double chocolate and strawberry blitz.

"Sorry, I'll shut up now." She told them. "Have to remember you don't need the details."

"Sam was interested in your idea." Flynn told them, shaking his head a little. While he loved her dearly, her job did make him a little uncomfortable. He had visited her in the lab a few times, but was perfectly happy to remain ignorant of the amount of time she spent among corpses.

"Well I was planning on something small anyway." She told them quietly. "I was the only one who made it to Corinth, it's not like there were going to be many people on my side of the guest list anyway. I figured there'd be a lot of similarities between my guest list and Summer's."

"We'd love to share the day with you." Flynn chipped in, putting his arm around her and holding her closely. "We were planning on making everything official between us before the baby arrives."

"It isn't long until your first scan is it?" Summer asked them as she pulled a little closer. Flynn and Dillon had to try hard not to comment on her enthusiasm. Since Alex had been born and Brie was due to give birth in about a month's time, she had started to become more than a little bit over excitable around the subject of children.

"I've scheduled an appointment for next week." She informed them as a waiter came with some menus. "Flynn told me about Ziggy, that all seems kind of strange. Are they alright?"

"Ziggy seems to really be excited about fatherhood, he's really been amazing since Alex was born." Summer gushed, thinking about the newest arrival in her family. "Tenaya seems a little tired and nervous, but I guess that's kind of to be expected given the way everything went down. Alex is just adorable though. He's really cute, he's so tiny. I just can't get enough of him."

"Would you like to hear the specials?" The waiter asked them, bringing their attention to him. Summer didn't look too happy about being interrupted when she was going on about her nephew, but then she was running on a little, and he did have a job to do.

"That's alright; we're just looking for the pre-theatre menu." Flynn told him. "Are we going for the two or three course?"

"I could manage a dessert." Summer said with a shrug.

"I have kind of a sweet tooth too." Sam added. Dillon and Flynn both started looking through to decide what they would like. "So what's the soup of the day?"

Back at the orphanage, Ziggy was still in the bathroom with Tenaya, waiting for her to find the words to explain what the problem was.

"Tenaya, we're a family, if there's something wrong you can tell me." He reminded her, squeezing her hand a little to remind her he was there. "Just take your time."

"I'm just really confused." She told him as she started to gather her thoughts as coherently as she could. "Since he was born, he was like a part of me. I felt this connection to him that I've never felt for anything before, I love him so much."

"Then what's the problem?" He asked her.

"It isn't the only thing I've been feeling." She informed him. "Ever since that first night, when I couldn't stop him crying...when I didn't know how to feed him, I've been feeling all sorts of things I never wanted to. I feel scared any time I come across something I can't understand. When he feels hot, I worry about what it means. When he screams I don't know what he wants. I just panic when I don't know what to do, and I get frustrated when I can't get him to stop."

"Tenaya, you can't blame yourself for any of that." He told her reassuringly. "I feel a lot of the same things. I don't know what I'm doing half the time, and the other half, I just kind of wing it and hope for the best. It's a learning process, we'll figure it out."

"What if I don't though?" She asked him. "I can't see any way out I just feel trapped and lonely all the time. It's like everyone expects so much from me. It's like Alex is born and I'm just meant to magically know what every cry means, when he need fed, when he wants to be held..."

"Tenaya, no one expects you to pick all of this up right away." Ziggy reminded her sympathetically.

"It feels like it though." She sighed sadly. "I just feel confused and frightened and frustrated all the time to the point, I can't just feel happy when I look at my son, and I don't want to feel like that. I want it all to stop; I just want to feel like everyone else does."

She paused for a second and wiped away a tear as she considered her next words carefully.

"When I was in the bathroom earlier, I wasn't...you know..." She mumbled as she tried to get the words out. "I heard him screaming, and I tried to make him stop, but I just couldn't. Nothing I did seemed to make a difference...I just had to get out of there. I wasn't in the bathroom because I needed anything; I was there because I ran. I feel like I'm not good enough for him. That's why I let everyone else deal with him. I thought he'd be better off without me."

"Tenaya that's not true." He told her.

"I just don't want anything to happen to him because I don't know what I'm doing." She replied as he held her tightly. "I love him so much; I couldn't bear it if he got hurt because of me..."

"You don't have to face this alone, we're all here." He assured her. "Mom and dad are willing to help, Chas and Brie seem to be really taken with the little guy, and I'm starting to worry Summer might just want to kidnap him the way she fawns over him. We'll all help you in any way we can."

He pulled away from her, smiling a little, finally happy to know what was going on in her head.

"I've seen the way Alex looks at you when you hold him. He could never be better off without you." He said softly, looking into her eyes. "You're not doing this alone. You don't need to feel overwhelmed."

"It really means a lot to me to hear that." She told him. "I really do need some help with all of this. I'm still completely lost..."

"Join the club." He told her as he hugged her tightly.

Back at the restaurant, the waiter was just clearing away the dishes from the dessert as Summer continued to explain her idea to Sam.

"I made an appointment to see the chaplain tomorrow." Summer told her, taking a sip of coffee. "I could try to get an appointment a couple of weeks."

"That sounds like it would be great." Sam told them, only to frown as her pager sounded. She pulled it out and looked at it, and seemed to get a little flustered as she saw the message. "Sorry to love you and leave you guys, but I need to make tracks."

"Is everything alright?" Flynn asked her. Sam looked at him and smiled.

"It's sweet that you worry, but I'm a big girl. They just need me back at the lab." She told him. "I'll get a cab..."

"Dillon, could I keep the car a little longer?" Flynn asked him. Dillon just nodded in response.

"Sure, we'll get the head waiter to call us a cab." He told them. "Hope everything turns out alright Sam."

"Its fine, I'll call you tomorrow to sort out the details." She responded. "Flynn, we should get going."

As they left, Dillon looked at Summer, a little curiously.

"I wonder what that was about." He commented. "She couldn't get out of here fast enough."

"It's like she said, she was needed at the lab." Summer stated as she started to gather her things.

"I'm not that worried about what she's doing." Dillon remarked as the waiter came back. "I'm just a little sore about the fact they left before the check came." Summer just laughed as they got out their wallets.

It was beginning to get late by the time Ziggy and Tenaya arrived back in the Garage, finding that Summer and Dillon had beaten them back. Tenaya took Alex up to their room as Ziggy greeted them.

"How was dinner?" He asked them.

"It was nice." Summer told him. "It's not often we get to eat out."

"Where is everyone?" He asked them, looking around curiously.

"Scott and Dr. K went out somewhere. I think she wanted some time alone with him." Summer informed him. "Gem's in the lab trying out some stuff for the fireworks we agreed to let him arrange for the wedding."

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret that." Dillon told him. "Gemma went to see Hicks, but she isn't back yet."

"I noticed Tenaya took the baby upstairs." Summer said quietly, approaching the subject that had troubled her a little earlier.

"The little guy had a big day. He's completely wiped out." Ziggy replied with a bright smile on his face. "I introduced him to the whole family. He does have a lot of them."

"Is Tenaya feeling alright?" She asked him. "I noticed she was a little distant earlier."

"She's finding it all a bit of a big adjustment." Ziggy told them both. "We got a chance to talk. I think I made her feel a little better about it all, I just wish there was more I could do."

"It's alright; you know we'll help out." Summer assured him.

Dillon just got up and headed towards Ziggy and Tenaya's room.

"Dillon..."

"It's alright Summer, I just want to talk to my sister a while." Dillon told her. "Could the two of you just give me a little while?"

Tenaya was laying Alex down in the crib as he arrived. He had been so excited and over stimulated by meeting all the new faces that he had fallen asleep in her arms long before he hit the mattress. Tenaya pulled the covers over him gently and looked down on him a little sadly.

"I heard he had a big day." Dillon began, putting an arm around her shoulders. Tenaya just nodded.

"He's exhausted." She told him. "He'll definitely sleep well tonight."

"Ziggy told me you talked to him." Dillon informed her. Tenaya wasn't angry; she knew it was something that they would have to talk about if the others were going to help her through this. "It's alright; I know you'll be fine."

"I know you'll be there to help me, it really means a lot to me." She murmured. "I'm still really worried though."

"Of course you are, I'd be worried if you weren't." Dillon told her.

"It's just...I don't know if I even have it in me to take care of others." She admitted as she watched Alex sleeping. "I've never taken care of anything in my life."

"Tenaya..."

"First Venjix took care of everything for me, and then when I came here, you all took care of me, especially Ziggy." She sniffed, looking down on him. "Even Julie was helpless. Maybe that's just who I am."

Dillon took her by the shoulders and sat her down on the edge of the bed and looked into her eyes.

"You'll be fine." He told her flatly. He took another deep breath as he paused. "Tenaya, I'm sorry, but this is partly my fault. I didn't want to stress you out any more than you already were because of the baby."

"What are you talking about?" Tenaya asked him. He sat on the bed next to her.

"I had full recall because of the key, you haven't." He explained. "I remember everything, you don't. I always meant to tell you, but like I said, the time was never right."

He smiled at her and held her closely.

"Let me tell you about the Julie Kitchner I remember."


	54. The Real Julie Kitchner

Little Freddy was sitting in the drawing room of the Landsdown's mansion while Summer played with her doll's house, passing the time. On this occasion, Andrews was watching them, not Mrs. Kitchner. She had been away with his younger sister Julie for some time.

He still didn't know why they needed to go. She had explained to him that now Julie was growing up, she was going to be taught how to do more for herself. She had gone with her mother to a hospital to learn how to walk around by herself. He wasn't sure exactly how she was meant to be able to do that, and was a little worried about her. Ever since his dad had left them shortly after she was born, he'd helped his mom look after her. He had been with her, and helped her for virtually everything for the first six years of her life. He helped walk her everywhere, and he took his responsibility for her care very seriously. As he cast his gaze towards the door once more, Andrews placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"They say a watched pot never boils Master Frederick." He said soothingly to the young boy. "They'll be back soon. You got the call."

"Why did they go?" He asked him in a small, weak voice. "Wasn't I doing a good job? She hardly ever gets hurt, I never let her..."

"Your mother explained this already. Your sister has to learn to fend for herself." Andrews explained again, rubbing his shoulder gently. "No one here doubts how much you love your sister, or that you take excellent care of her, but you can't be there all the time. Sooner or later you'll want to live your own life, and she'll want to live hers."

"I want to take care of her." He reiterated a little more forcefully. "I'll never leave her, I'll always..."

"Do you really think that will make her happy?" Andrews asked him. "You and she are already different people. You are very close, and you share some interests, but you aren't the same people. Are you really planning to drag her everywhere with you for your whole life?"

Freddy didn't answer. As he looked downwards, Summer came to his side, and hugged him as she saw he needed some comfort. Andrews smiled a little at the display. He knew that despite her parent's reluctance, Summer had grown closer to the housekeeper's kids. He was pleased that she had some friends out with the exclusive world her parents were raising in; to show her that there were people that weren't like all the people she normally met.

"Your mom wouldn't do anything she thought might hurt her." Summer told him. "She's only doing this to help her."

Freddy heard a car pulling up outside and ran over to the window. He peered out in time to see Mrs. Kitchner getting out the back of the Landsdown's limo. After a few more seconds, he saw his sister climb slowly out of the car. She was carrying a white cane, and moved a little slowly at first, securing herself against the door frame of the car, before readying herself on her feet, and taking a firm grip on the cane, moving it around in front of herself.

"They're home!" He called out in his excitement. He burst from the drawing room so quickly that Summer and Andrews couldn't stop him. He barrelled down the stairs to see them, almost falling headfirst down them in his frantic dash. He went to the front door, throwing it open carelessly and rushed out towards them. His mother wasn't touching Julie, instead simply explaining to her where she was so she turned in the right direction.

"Julie!" He called out in his excitement, running towards her. Julie's face lit up, and she forgot her search for a second, turning towards his voice and making a large step forward. She caught her foot on an edging stone to one of the flowerbeds and fell forward, landing on the gravel path. Freddy started to rush towards her to see if she was alright, but his mother held up a hand to stop him.

"No Freddy, stay there." She told him. He looked at his mother in amazement as he heard Julie grunting a little. He could see that a hole had been torn in the left knee of her trousers, and it was badly grazed, and the heels of her palms had been too. "Let her do it herself."

"Mom she's hurt!" He complained, gesturing to her. He wanted to rush to her side, but he wasn't going to simply disobey his mother, he just wanted her to understand. "This would never have happened if I'd led her..."

"She needs to learn!" Mrs. Kitchner told him. He looked back to his sister, seeing that she was handling her pain bravely. There was no whimpering, and no tears. Instead, she started to slowly pull herself back to her feet and retrieved her cane, beginning to use it to search again, finding the stone she had tripped over. She gave it a small, unnecessary whack with the cane out of frustration, before continuing to search, and moved forwards. Freddy watched her come over towards him, reaching out her hand. As she got within arm's length, his mother nodded to confirm that he could reach out for her. They hugged each other, greeting each other like they hadn't seen each other in years.

"I missed you." He whispered to her. "Are you alright?"

"It's alright; it was just a little fall." She told him softly with a smile. "Until I get used to a place and get to know its layout, there'll be a couple of accidents. I'll be alright."

As they turned to head back towards the house, Julie beginning to tell him enthusiastically about her time away, learning how to get around with the new cane, Freddy couldn't help but be impressed by the change in her in this short time. He rushed forward as they got to the door, opening it for her. Julie just stopped short and didn't move.

"Freddy, Julie only knows where something is if her cane hits it." His mother informed him. "If you open the door, she won't be able to find it."

He closed the door and stepped aside, at which she moved forward. Feeling the cane connect with the door, she reached up with her hand, finally finding the door handle, and opened it, stepping inside. Freddy followed on feeling a little conflicted. In many ways a lot of his identity was defined by helping his sister. He had been her eyes since she had learned to walk, and they had been very close as a result. He felt a little sad to think that she would need him less, but as she continued to regale them with her time at the institute, he couldn't help feeling uplifted. There was a change in her, a new confidence and happiness that hadn't been there before.

Back in the present, in the Garage, Tenaya looked on in surprise as Dillon told her so much about herself she didn't know. Her most vivid memories were those attached to touches, smells and emotions. She had only ever really remembered being led around and cared for by her brother.

"Ever since you were born, once mom found out that you were blind, she always knew things were going to be hard, but she never wanted you to be coddled." Dillon told his sister as he recounted her past. "She always wanted you to be able to fend for yourself, even though she knew that it would be hard at times."

"I didn't remember much about that." Tenaya admitted.

"It took a lot of getting used to letting you get around by yourself." He admitted as he recalled that time of their life. "For a while you had a few accidents, a couple of trips and falls, and it killed me to see you get hurt but mom always insisted that you needed to learn. In time, the accidents were less frequent. It was amazing watching you grow. Pretty soon you didn't need me to help you get around."

"I can't believe I didn't remember that." Tenaya commented as she considered the new information. "I thought I was coddled."

"Please, that attitude you had as Venjix's right-hand woman? That wasn't his doing." Dillon told her. "Mom wanted to make sure you could take care of yourself, and not just being able to walk around by yourself. Trust me, because of her; you were never raised to be a victim."

It was Julie's first day of High School, and she was just getting off the bus with her brother. Fred tapped her on the shoulder as they walked.

"I'll just show you around. The stairs are just up ahead." He informed her. "I'll take you to the headmistress' office. She'll want to talk to you about..."

"Great, that's all we need." A senior scoffed as he got out of his car. "I know this place struggles to get a budget, but now they're going to start letting in cripples?"

Julie grabbed Fred's arm as he started to turn towards him.

"You better watch what you say!" He warned the other student in a low growl. Julie wasn't happy with the slight, and hated it when anyone made fun of her because of her disability. She had already gotten good grades up until now, one of the main reasons the school was keen to admit her. Having students with her kind of marks would raise the grade point average and secure a better budget.

"What's it to you kid?" The senior asked him.

"That's my sister. If you have a problem with her, you have a problem with me." Fred stated flatly. Julie moved between them, separating them as several of the seniors friends started to become attracted to the scene. Julie could already tell that they were outnumbered, and that Fred was ready for action. He was only going to get hurt if anything kicked off.

"It's only a name. This guy's a moron, just ignore him." Julie replied. "I know I deserve to be here, that's all that matters."

Fred just backed down and started to walk away with Julie. The senior started laughing as he saw this.

"I guess it's true how desperate this school is for funding." He joked. "Now they're applying for disability grants."

Fred turned back, but Julie stopped him, before turning her head a little towards the senior.

"What was that name you called me again?" She asked him.

"Are you deaf as well as blind?" The senior asked her. "Cripple!"

She held her hand in Fred's chest, stopping him, but gripped her cane more tightly.

"Say it one more time." She told him.

"Crip..."

He was cut off as she swung the cane as quickly as she could, whipping it painfully across his face, staggering him. The senior looked at her in shock as his hand strayed to his face. He pulled his hand away, staring at the blood covering it from the gash she had caused to form across his cheek.

"You little bitch, I'm going to..."

"You're going to do what? Beat up a blind girl?" She asked him sarcastically. The senior looked around at all his friends gathered, realising she was right about his situation. He couldn't do anything to her in response. There was no way he would get away with striking back against her; he'd be suspended for sure, possibly even expelled. She smiled at him. "Just remember what they say about sticks and stones. You called me a name, but just remember. I always carry a stick."

"I really did that?" Tenaya asked him back in the Garage. Dillon just laughed a little at the memory.

"That jerk wouldn't show his face for a fortnight after that." He replied as he put an arm around her. "Mom always told you never to let what anyone said about you get to you. She never raised you to be a victim."

"So I was always like that?" She asked him. "You mean...I was always so..."

"Assertive." Dillon put down before she could say anything less diplomatic. "You were always taught to speak your mind. Sure, you were in no danger of being a diplomat, but you were never unnecessarily cruel. You just...didn't let people take advantage."

The scene moved on to a little after Julie and Fred had moved into Keith's mansion. She arrived in the door after another day at college, finding the sound system playing loud, raucous music. She made her way inside cautiously.

"Fred?" She called out, wondering where everyone was. "Keith?"

She made her way down the hall, and onto the balcony. The music made it harder to get a sense of what was happening, but she knew that someone was in the room. She heard the faintest whisper of two quiet voices. She started to make her way down the stairs, and smelled coffee being brewed.

"Julie, is it that time already?" A familiar voice asked her. It was Gerald Fox, Keith's accountant. He was a slightly jittery little man, barely any taller than Julie, with a bald head and glasses. Since hiring Fred, Keith had insisted that all the members of his staff, and most of the visitors allowed Julie to touch them to get an idea who they were and what they looked like. While she hadn't been keen on him at first, he had truly allowed her to make herself at home here. Only the safe, which was off-limits to everyone but him, and his bedroom were off-limits to her. Other than that, she was welcome to anything in the house. "I wasn't expecting you for a while."

"Where are Fred and Keith?" She asked him. "Who's the other guy? Why is the music so loud?"

"Sorry about that, we're just taking a few liberties with the stereo while we wait for Keith. He had to go into the city for a business meeting; he should be back with your brother any time now." He said to her in a bit of a rush as he started to guide her away from the living room. The music made it harder to differentiate sound, but she could still sense a little tension in his throat, causing a subtle squeak in it that would be largely unnoticeable to anyone else. He all but frog marched her into the kitchen. "I have an appointment with him in a little while. Would you like a coffee?"

"Sure." She replied, smelling it. She smiled. "The stereo isn't the only thing you're taking liberties with is it? This is that good Columbian stuff he gets shipped in especially. It costs him something like 300 dollars a bag."

"You won't tell him will you?" He asked her, reaching across and squeezing her knee a little. She always hated that about Gerald, he was more than a little bit of a creep, especially with her.

"Every employee deserves a few perks." She replied, sweeping his hand off her knee. "Your secret's safe with me."

Just then, she heard another sound. The loud music made it hard to identify, but she could swear it was a heavy mechanical clunk coming from the living room. She strained to hear as Gerald poured the coffee. Something just didn't seem right about this. After some rustling, and another clunk, the music was switched off. A second later, the second man came in. She heard him shoving something into a cupboard, before sitting with them.

"So who's this?" She asked him, in reference to the stranger.

"Oh he's just an intern I'm showing the ropes to." He replied as he took a long sip. "So how's College?"

"What did you put into the cupboard?" She asked him. "Who is this?"

"It's nothing to worry about..."

"Kind of like the sound of the safe opening?" She asked him. "You're ripping him off aren't you?"

The stranger lashed out, punching her to the floor. Julie tried to get up, but the stranger grabbed her, holding her down.

"Get the bag; we're getting out of here!" He snapped at the accountant. Gerald just did as he was told, gathering the ill-gotten goods. Julie struggled on the floor.

"Come on, we've got the goods, let's just go!" Gerald told him.

"Sorry, but we've got a witness." The stranger reminded him, cocking a gun and pressing it to the back of her head. Julie just whimpered a little as she felt this. "We need to waste the girl."

"Leave her!" Keith called out as he arrived. Julie heard a gunshot, at which the stranger fell off her, lying on the floor unmoving. She heard Gerald shrieking in pain as her brother manhandled him to the floor.

"Please, not the face!" Gerald shrieked. "Don't hurt me, please!"

"Are you alright Julie?" Keith asked her, coming over to her. She sat up, wiping away a tear as she did so.

"I'm sorry Keith." She told him.

"You shouldn't blame yourself; you should just have let them take the money." He told her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It isn't worth your life."

"No, I'm sorry about the coffee." She told him, pointing to the coffee pot. "It's burning."

Keith looked up, realising that they had left it on too long, and the coffee was indeed burning. Julie had just smelled it before he had. He laughed and helped her up.

"You've got some guts Julie." He commented.

Back in the Garage, Tenaya's attention was grabbed as Alex started to murmur. She looked over to him as Dillon finished his story.

"That's the Julie I remember." He told her proudly. "You were easily the most courageous, strongest person I knew. I looked after you, but I never coddled you. Mom wouldn't let me, and neither would you."

Just then, Alex started to cry. Tenaya felt a little tense, but it started to pass, as she thought of something.

"He's hungry." She said quietly. "I know what he wants."

"You know from that?" He asked her, commenting on the hellish sound coming from his nephew's crib. Tenaya just looked at him.

"This is the part you leave." She told him. "I need to feed him."

"It's alright, I can..."

"No, I mean...I...need to feed him." She clarified, crossing her arms over her chest. Dillon just pointed to the door.

"This is one of those things that brothers really shouldn't see their sisters do isn't it?" He asked. "I'll just leave you to it."

With that, he left her alone with her son. Tenaya lifted up Alex a little nervously, still a little uncertain about her future with him, but strengthened by her new knowledge of herself and her situation. She had a family around her willing to help, and she was stronger than she had believed. As Alex started to feed, settling into her quietly, she smiled.

"I'm sorry little guy. I guess your mommy freaked out for a little while there." She whispered to him. "I can't promise anything. I'm still learning, and I can't promise that I'll always have the answers for you. I can't promise I'll not freak again. All I can promise is that I love you and I'll try my best."

Almost in response, Alex squirmed a little in her grip. Tenaya smiled a little as she looked down on him. Things were far from perfect, but she had something now she didn't have before. She had hope, and the will to try.


	55. The Truman Show

Marcus was sitting in his room within the mental institution, reading through Dumas' Three Musketeers, his favourite book from childhood. He had been there now for a few days. There were a few unsettling sounds coming from nearby rooms, but it was nothing compared to what he had heard out in the wastes while he was leading the rebels.

He hated this place; it was far from a comfortable place to be. Guards walked around in white uniforms, carrying nightsticks on their belts in case any of the patients started to get out of hand. The whole place was painted in a brilliant white, and was clinically clean. The whole place stank of bleach, making it seem somewhat like a hospital, though it was a lot less welcoming. The walls were concrete, and the doors were heavy, metal with strong locks on them. Given the severity of his trauma, and the fact his father was keeping his return a secret; Marcus was in the maximum security wing.

His cell was padded, and contained nothing that he would be able to hurt himself with, though he was able to get a book from the library since his cell was never locked. No one at the institution was under any false impressions about how futile it would be to try and restrain him. Given his augmented strength, it wasn't as though the guards could really stop him if he decided he wanted to leave. Although he was in maximum security, he was there voluntarily.

He heard a knock on the door and turned to see his father standing there, carrying some magazines. Marcus put the leaf from the dust jacket in page he was reading and shut it, setting his book down on the bed.

"How are you feeling Marcus?" He asked him. Marcus moved across, allowing his father a seat on the bed.

"The doctors say my therapy is going well." Marcus informed him as he took the magazines from his father. "They've given up on using medication. The implants filter toxins and foreign bodies out of my system too quickly for them to have any effect. The doctors said it'd be pointless to keep pumping drugs into me, it'd be a waste of resources."

"It's probably for the best." Colonel Truman told him.

"How are the others?" He asked in response. "How's Alex?"

"The baby's fine. Tenaya and Ziggy are just getting used to parenthood." He replied with a chuckle. "It kind of reminds me of when you were born. Your mother and I..."

"Dad, do we really have to hear these stories again?" Marcus groaned. "What about the others?"

"Summer, Dillon, Flynn and Sam are talking about getting married some time soon. They're going to arrange something with the Chaplain this week." He informed him. "The twins are pretty much just the same, and Hicks is doing well. He's talking about coming back in a couple of weeks."

"What about Scott?" Marcus asked him. Colonel Truman paused as he said this. He didn't know what to tell him. Scott hadn't visited Marcus since he went into the institution. Colonel Truman was far from happy about the fact his younger son had shown so little interest in his brother's wellbeing. He hadn't yet had a chance to talk to him, more accurately scream at him for leaving his brother alone in this awful place.

"He seems to be busy." Colonel Truman lied diplomatically. Marcus didn't look especially happy about this explanation, but he accepted it and moved on.

"Let him know I'd like to see him." He replied regretfully. "So Summer and Dillon and Summer are thinking about getting married huh? Think the guards will let me out of here for the day?"

"I doubt they'd try to stop you." Colonel Truman replied with a snigger. "Not if they knew what was good for them."

"Dad, could you do me a favour?" He asked him. "The food in here's pretty rank. Next time, instead of magazines, could you bring some doughnuts or something?"

"I'll see what I can do." He replied. "So why don't you tell me how they're treating you in here?"

Over in the chapel on the military barracks, a slightly aging man was busy wiping down the pews with furniture polish as the score from West Side Story blasted out of a small CD player on the altar. Father Spence or "Father Larry" as the troops often called him was far from a traditional man. He had come into the military from a far from spotless past, a fact he never tried to keep a secret. He was, by rank, only a private, but he was also a fully ordained minister. His lack of promotion was purely by choice, as was his choice to enter the military instead of going into a traditional parish. He had done some soul searching during his final year of study, and decided that the place he could do the most good was to minister to the troops.

He was, as one would expect of an enlisted soldier, a tall man, in incredibly good health. Despite his advancing age, he was easily able to keep pace with the young recruits, something that earned him a measure of respect among them, something that was important if they were to trust him with their most intimate problems. His hair was silver, and cut short. He had a full moustache and beard that blended into long sideburns which merged to his hair. He was wearing combat trousers, and boots, but had taken off his jacket while he worked, hanging it over the lectern. He was wearing a black t-shirt, with his favourite psalm across the back, and his name on the breast.

Summer, Dillon and Flynn came into the chapel, finding him going through his chores while singing 'Hey Officer Krupe' at the top of his voice. Summer laughed a little, seeing this. He was a huge fan of musical theatre, something all the recruits knew. She made her way over, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Father Larry." She greeted him. He turned around, seeing her and immediately put down the spray can and cloth he was carrying.

"Summer, it's great to see you again!" He yelled, shaking her hand. "It's been far too long. What can I do for you?"

"Well, the big news is I'm engaged." She told him, pulling Dillon to her side. "This one's actually going to turn into a wedding though."

"Well after the Chas debacle I was starting to wonder. I couldn't be happier for you." He announced. He extended a hand to Dillon. "I'm Father Larry."

Dillon just looked at his hand a little sceptically. He wasn't a religious man by any means. Even if he had been before the implants, which he now knew he wasn't, he had every reason to doubt the plausibility of God's existence. He had lost so much to Venjix, and God had done nothing to stop it, it was only natural he was a bit bitter. He saw the look on Summer's face and accepted the handshake. He knew she had been friends with the Chaplain back when she was in the officer training back at the academy. He might have had problems with Larry's standpoint, but that didn't mean he couldn't accept him as a man, or as Summer's friend.

"Dillon." He responded curtly. "Summer told me you go way back."

"Well I remember when this little firecracker first came to the barracks." He told him. "She used to come to me all the time complaining about..."

"Let's just say we spoke a lot." Summer cut him off before he could reveal too much of her past and embarrass her. "I was wondering if you had a date free."

"I always have time for you Summer." He answered cheerfully, gesturing to the pews. "So when were you thinking?"

"Well I think you know we all have pretty hectic schedules." Summer told him. "When's the soonest you have available?"

He pulled a date book out of his pocket and flicked through it.

"Well we're pretty light for the next while, and I'm sure you want some time to arrange a celebration." He commented. "How are you booked for next week?"

"Next week?" Dillon asked him. "You could fit us in that quickly?"

"Thursday to be exact." He added with a small smile crossing his lips. "Does that sound good for you?"

"Do you think Sam could make it?" Summer asked Flynn. She turned back to Father Larry to explain. "It's a double wedding, Flynn's getting married too."

"Sam said she's fine to arrange time off. Next Thursday sounds great." He responded happily, grateful for the thought of finally getting to make her his wife.

"I guess that's a date then." Summer concluded. "We're planning on a small celebration at the Garage."

"I remember where it is from the last time." He chuckled. "Hopefully this time Venjix's cyborg henchwoman won't crash the party."

"Actually this time Tenaya's an invited guest. I'd love my nephew to be there." She told him. She saw the confusion in his expression. "It's a long story, I'll tell you all about it later, this is one of those things I'd like you to keep to yourself."

"You mean like the time I caught you smoking..."

"I think that's enough of that!" Summer cut him off, holding up a hand. Flynn smiled and nudged her gently.

"Smoking what?" He teased her. Summer just glared at him.

"I don't have to share my wedding day with you remember?" She told him. Flynn backed off a little, but shared a knowing look with Dillon, who was also grinning broadly. They were sure to try and get some of these stories about the young Summer out of him over the next week. "Thanks for this Father Larry; I'm really looking forward to it."

"So am I. I'd like to read at least one of your weddings." He teased her.

Over at the Forensics lab, Sam was busy analysing a sample when her cell phone rang. She smiled as she saw the caller ID and realised Flynn was calling. She quickly answered the call.

"Flynn, have you spoken to the Chaplain?" She asked him. She had to restrain herself from screaming as she heard the news. "Next Thursday? That's amazing, of course I'll get the time off!"

She heard him telling her a little more about the arrangements, and nodded as she considered it.

"That all sounds wonderful. You can tell me all about it tonight." She told him. He responded, and she smiled a little. "Well I was thinking you'd prefer a quiet night in. I was going to cook your favourite."

As Flynn answered, she thought about the shopping trip she'd need to go on to get ingredients.

"I'll see you around 7." She told him. "I love you too."

As she hung up and turned around, she turned a few shades whiter as she saw him sitting in front of her. He was a man in his late twenties, with dyed platinum blonde hair, wearing a long black leather trench coat. His tight leather trousers and blood red t-shirt covered a thin, toned body. His crystal blue eyes pierced her with a burning gaze as he took a slow drag on his cigarette.

"Now that was touching, but if I were you I'd consider cancelling." He said in a slow, deliberate tone. "Congrats on the wedding plans by the way."

Sam went past him, ensuring the door was closed and the blinds were shut to prevent anyone seeing him there. She let out a small sigh as she turned back to him.

"What do you want?" She asked him.

"What do I always want?" He asked her, coming closer. He threw his cigarette on the floor, crushing it out with his boot as he blew a mouthful of smoke into the air. "Sorry, wouldn't want the little one being harmed..."

"Don't touch me!" She hissed, slapping his hand away as he reached from her stomach. "I gave you what you wanted. I've always given you..."

"Needs must sweetheart." He said as he advanced on her. Sam backed away from him, backing into the wall. He put his hands either side of her, pinning her in place. "It would be a shame if this lovely little life of yours all came crumbling down around your ears."

"You can't..."

"I'm not too sure how the Colonel would feel if he found out what I know about you." He continued as she looked away from her. "Not to mention what your precious fiancé would think if he knew the truth about you."

"I've given you what you wanted for all this time. I've always honoured our agreement." She snapped at him. "What gives you the right...?"

"You have more to lose now love." He reminded her as he moved closer, almost touching her face-to-face. She could feel his breath on her face and flinched at the sensation. "Our arrangement was I keep quiet and let you keep your job. We never said anything about a husband and kids."

"I have a right to be happy." She murmured as a tear ran down her face. "You can't hold that against me."

"I can hold anything I want against you." He replied in a soft, menacing whisper. "I hold the cards darlin', don't forget that."

"What do you want?" She asked him. He smiled and backed away as he realised she was giving in to him.

"Same as always." He told her. "Usual place, tonight at 7."

"But I..."

"Like I said, you might want to cancel." He told her, reaching out and stroking her hair. "Of course I could always just turn up at your place and have an enlightening chat with the future daddy."

"I'll be there." She sniffed as she wiped her nose with her sleeve. He just leaned in, kissing her on the cheek. She shuddered at his touch, but could do nothing about it. She knew he held all the cards. If people knew about her past, her life would be over. He left the room, leaving her alone in her despair. She just collapsed onto her desk and wept. Before she had met him, she thought she had escaped the past. Now though, her happiness, her life relied on keeping her blackmailer satisfied.

Back at the institution, Marcus was sitting in the recreation room watching television as other patients came and went. Out with treatment and group sessions, the patients in the maximum security wing only got a couple of hours a day out of their cells to socialise and to entertain themselves in the recreation room. Marcus spent a lot of time here though; the doors were never locked to him, since he would easily be able to escape if he wanted to. Normally it was peaceful here but now, the others were in the room.

He watched as one of the patients, a 17 year old girl was guided into the room by a couple of orderlies. Marcus hated this part of the day. He was there to get over what he had seen and experienced in the wastes, but seeing some of the other patients, at times he felt like he didn't belong. Not because he didn't have problems, but because given the way some of the other patients were, he felt like he was demeaning those who had genuinely lost all capacity to operate in the real world. This girl, Cassandra, spent half her time wandering around in a daze like a zombie, and the other half screaming like a banshee and lashing out at anyone who got within arm's reach of her. It wasn't the first time he'd watched the staff restrain her and sedate her.

He turned his attention back to the screen, watching as the news reel showed the footage of Chas and Brie at yet another charity function, shaking hands and posing for photographs. He had known Chas back when he was still the shallow, superficial playboy that cruised through life on his father's name. He remembered him as the arrogant bully who pushed around young recruits back at the academy, but now, he was a man that he could respect. He had done so much for the city, that even in the short time he had been in office the city had changed for the better. Of course, Marcus knew exactly how much he had done, and how far he was willing to go to keep his promises to the city, having fought with him in the gang wars. It was one of the things that convinced him Chas had changed.

He looked around as orderlies came into the room and approached patients, taking them to areas of the room and talking with them. He pretended to keep watching the TV, but he kept an eye on the action. He had been here long enough to know that the orderlies rarely all came into the one room at the one time. One of the orderlies approached him.

"OK, time for your..."

Marcus grabbed his wrist, stopping him from sticking a syringe into him. He used his free hand to tap the badge on his gown carrying the message 'no medication', and released him.

The orderly went on his way as Marcus went back to pretending to watch the news, but kept watching as an orderly talked to Cassandra. He saw him injecting her with a serum, and became curious. Why would an orderly be administering medication? When did it become policy to administer medication in the recreation room?

He got up and left the room, heading back to his cell. He hadn't felt comfortable here for quite some time, but he just shook his head and dismissed the thought as paranoia. It wasn't like he had much reason to trust others given his experiences in the wastes. Perhaps he was just looking for things where they didn't exist.


	56. Sam's Problem

Vasquez was making her way home after a long shift at central command. It was coming towards the end of the year, and so the climate control system was maintaining much cooler temperatures now, and the nights were beginning to draw in more quickly.

She clutched a large bag of groceries to her chest as she struggled with her keys. She lived alone, rarely socialising with most of the other troops. Indeed, with the exception of the few functions she had been made to attend with the Rangers and the Colonel, she rarely seemed to do anything other than work and stay at home with the man in her life, her cat Elwood.

Finally managing to unlock the door, she made her way into the apartment building, heading up in the elevator to the top floor of the building. As she stepped off the elevator, she was curious to see Sam in the corridor. She just seemed to walk straight past Vasquez, not even registering her presence. Vasquez initially thought she might be there to see her, and simply hadn't noticed her, but she walked straight past the door to her apartment and over to the door of her neighbour's apartment. Vasquez didn't really know him; all she knew was that she had complained more than once about him playing loud music late into the night.

As she got to the door of her own apartment, she noticed Sam knocking the door, at which her neighbour answered. He gave her a slightly cocky smile as he saw her. Vasquez couldn't imagine how he knew the head of the military's forensics team. He seemed to look more like he'd be more at home at a sex pistols concert than a lab.

"I've been expecting you." He said in a casual drawl as he reached forward, stroking her hair. "How'd Blue Boy take being stood up?"

"Let's just get this over with." Sam muttered, pushing past him into the apartment. Vasquez just turned her attention back to the door, pretending she hadn't noticed anything as her neighbour just looked around to ensure he hadn't been seen. He never noticed Vasquez, no one ever did. She was such a wall flower, no one ever saw her as anything more than something in the background. He closed the door, shutting out the prying eyes.

Vasquez made her way into her apartment, being greeted by Elwood rubbing himself against her legs, purring softly. Vasquez made her way to the kitchen, before bending down and lifting the young cat onto the counter.

"Hey there, how's your day been?" She asked him, stroking under his chin with her finger as she looked out a tin of cat food. She knew that the affection she got from Elwood was somewhat self-serving, but living on her own, it was nice just to have a little companionship when she came home. She put the tin into the can opener and pressed the button as she started to scratch him behind the ears. "I just saw something weird. I didn't know Sam knew anyone here."

Elwood purred contentedly, wriggling a little under her touch. He was still a relatively young cat, a little small, and white with black patches across his fur. He closed his bright green eyes as she continued to stroke him gently.

"I wonder what she wanted here." She commented as she emptied the contents of the can into a bowl and laid it in front of him. Elwood started to nibble at it as Vasquez considered what she had seen. Music started blaring out from the apartment next door. "Oh great this is starting again."

She looked out a microwave meal from her grocery bag and threw it into the microwave, before pouring herself a glass of wine. She remembered something odd about the way the meeting had gone. Sam didn't seem happy to see him; indeed she almost looked like she couldn't wait to leave. The man had said something about her standing up Flynn to be there, which was odd since she was pregnant by him, and according to the office gossip, they were arranging a wedding for the near future.

As the microwave sounded, indicating that her dinner was ready, she took it out, and carried it, with her glass and some cutlery through to the main room and sat in her favourite recliner as she turned on the television. Elwood leapt onto her lap and curled up there to sleep. Vasquez figured that she could always ask Sam about it later. If nothing else, if she did know her neighbour, perhaps she could convince him not to play his damned stereo so loud.

In the apartment, Sam made her way into the living-room while her platinum-haired tormentor switched on the stereo and turned the volume up high to drown out their conversation. He came over to her, pulling off his shirt.

"So let's see what you have for me sweetheart." He said casually as he came over to her. He had an impressively rock-hard physique under his shirt. He came over towards her, trying to put his arm around her, but she pulled away sharply. She pulled a bag out of her inside jacket pocket and slammed it down on the table.

"I have what you asked for." She told him coldly. "It wasn't easy to get hold of."

"That would be your problem then wouldn't it love?" He asked her as he opened the bag. He reached inside pulling out a few sample jars of liquid and smiled. "You know if you can get a delivery this quickly, maybe I should have been asking for more regular orders."

"It isn't exactly easy to smuggle human growth hormone out of the lab." She snapped in response. "You're just lucky we had a back log of cadavers after the gang war."

"I'm sure my customers will be more than happy." He responded with a little grin as he looked out a syringe and filled it. "This stuff is getting a great price at the gyms, especially from some of the military types.

"You got what you wanted, if you don't mind, I have a few things to do." She grumbled as she started to make her way to the door. He slammed a hand on the table, causing her jump.

"You'll go when I say you can go Sambo. In case you forgot, it's down to me how long this little happily ever after you're setting up lasts." He taunted her. He came over towards her, moving in closely and cradled her chin with his hand. He kissed her deeply, causing her to shudder at his touch. She hated every time he touched her, but she couldn't do anything. "You know, if getting this stuff out is so risky, I can think of another way you can shore up your little karmic debt."

"I'm pregnant you sick freak!" She hissed angrily. "I'd sooner lose Flynn to the truth than lose him like that."

"Well, if that's your choice, then I guess I can't force you to change your mind." He replied with a shrug. "From now on, I expect double the merchandise. Every two weeks, fresh produce without fail. Otherwise the Colonel and your fiancé find out just what you got up to before you came to Corinth."

"You can't expect me to keep that up!" She shrieked. "There are only so many cadavers. I can't exactly make more bodies. Justin, you have to be reasonable...."

"You only needed to make one body to land you inside." He reminded her sharply. "How long did you serve of that sentence again?"

"I just can't make HGH out of thin air." She told him. Justin just laughed at her predicament.

"Well like I said, there are other ways for you to square things up with me." He told her. Sam just rolled her eyes and stormed from the room as he laughed at her. He tapped the syringe a few times to clear it of air bubbles, before sinking it into his flesh. He had Sam right where he wanted her, and if she wanted to keep her happy little world going, she would have to find a way to increase the deliveries. Otherwise, everyone would know about the murder.

Over at the Garage, Scott was trying to teach Dr. K the finer points of pool when Colonel Truman came into the room. Scott stood, holding Dr. K, showing her how to line up the shot. She struck the ball, sending it forward, where it rattled around, before rolling out. She groaned a little in frustration.

"The shot was on target, you just hit the ball a little hard." Scott told her as she got up from the table. Colonel Truman just cleared his throat to announce his arrival. Scott could see from the look on his face he wasn't happy about something, and he could guess that it was probably about Marcus.

"Dr. K, I need to talk privately with my son." Colonel Truman stated flatly. Dr. K had talked to Scott a little about Marcus and his return to the city, but so far he hadn't been able to bring himself to face the situation. She could feel him tense up next to her, knowing that his father was likely there to express his displeasure at the fact he hadn't yet visited his brother. She straightened up, handing him the cue.

"I have a few things to check on in the lab." She told him, looking into his eyes. She didn't really want to leave, she knew from experience that both Scott and his father were stubborn enough that when they thought they were in the right, tempers flared quickly and careless words were often exchanged in the heat of the moment. They had grown closer since Marcus' death, and the more heated discussions were less common, but that was exactly the complication. Now grief over Marcus' death was no longer the common factor that bound them. She just had to let him know where she'd be in case things got a little too real.

As she left, Scott leant on the edge of the pool table, his expression stern and unwavering as he waited for the inevitable lecture to begin. Colonel Truman paced the room as he looked for the words to begin to explain his displeasure with his son.

"Marcus was asking for you." He informed him. Scott just looked away as he heard this. Even though he expected this lecture, it didn't mean he wasn't hoping to avoid the confrontation. "He said you haven't been to see him."

"How is he?" Scott asked him in response. He genuinely cared about his brother, and he wanted to know how he was, he wanted him to get better, but he wasn't yet ready to face him.

"Maybe if you visited him you would know." Colonel Truman suggested.

"Dad..."

"He's your brother damn it!" Colonel Truman snapped in response. "I thought you cared about him, but I guess I was wrong about that."

"Something tells me you care enough for the both of us." Scott responded sarcastically. "Now if you don't mind, I could live without the lecture. In case you forgot, I still have to defend this city from Venjix. Maybe when I have time..."

"You seem to have plenty of time to teach Dr. K to play pool." He replied as he took the cue from his son and threw it aside. "You have plenty of time to spend with her."

"How I spend my time is none of your damn business!" Scott roared at him, getting into his father's face.

"It is when you're shirking your responsibilities to your family." Colonel Truman stated angrily. "Your brother needs your help, and you're doing nothing to help him."

"What happened all those times I needed help?" Scott asked him in response. "I'll go and see Marcus when I'm good and ready. He's being cared for in the institution, he'll be fine."

"Your mother would be ashamed of you." Colonel Truman whispered to him as he turned Scott to face him. "Your brother needs your help..."

"What about you? How would mom feel about you?" Scott asked him. "Marcus was always the Golden Child. All my life all I ever heard was 'why can't you be more like Marcus?' been raised in his shadow like nothing I ever did mattered, like nothing was ever good enough."

"This is about Marcus..."

"Ever since he left, since we've been by ourselves, I've done nothing but help you. I pulled you through your grief, helped you keep going when you wondered what the point was. I've saved this city more times than anyone can count. I've done everything that's been expected of me and more." He ranted in his anger. "Yet the minute he's back in the picture I'm brushed aside like I'm nothing."

"Marcus needs our help." Colonel Truman reiterated as he glared at his son. "Now stop acting like a spoiled child and..."

"I guess now I know what I've been all along. I was just something to make you feel better while Marcus was out of the picture." He muttered, shaking his head slowly. "Didn't you ever consider that maybe need some help too?"

With that, he turned and stormed from the room, making his way into Dr. K's lab and shutting the door behind him. Colonel Truman just left without another word. He couldn't believe that his son was being so self-centred, so lacking in understanding for his brother's plight that he simply refused to even see him. He couldn't understand his anger or his lack of compassion. They had grown so close to each other over the last year that he would have thought he'd want to be there for Marcus, that he'd understand that Marcus was the one that needed their attention and their help now.

Meanwhile at the institution, Marcus was lying in his room reading when he heard a hellish scream from one of the other cells. He put his book away, and made his way to the door, listening intently.

Another scream rang out, a female voice. He recognised it as Cassandra, the 17-year-old patient he had seen earlier.

As more of the patients started to become distressed and cry out, he opened the door a little way and looked out into the hall as a couple of orderlies started to restrain and sedate some of the patients in the hallway. Cassandra was struggling too much though, and eventually managed to slip out of the grip of the orderly holding her. She started running screaming down the hall, until she ran into another of the guards, who took her down with a hard hit with his night stick across the back of her knee. He knelt on her, securing the weapon across her throat.

"Hold her steady, this one's a real hell cat." One of the doctors told him. Another couple of guards held her down as she struggled.

"Damn it, she bit me!" One of the guards screamed, recoiling in pain. He went back over to her, punching her in the ribs. By now Marcus had seen enough. He rushed out of his cell and grabbed the guard, launching him into a wall, at which he slumped to the floor unconscious.

"Stop, you're hurting her!" He screamed as he threw another of the orderlies away. The doctor backed away quickly, holding the needle threateningly. He knew it wasn't much of a threat. Even if he did get it into Marcus, with his resilience the sedative would hardly slow him down. As he pulled off the last of the guards, Cassandra ran down the hall, stopping only as she got to a locked door at the end. She turned back, her eyes full of terror. Marcus made his way towards her slowly; his arms open wide so she could see he meant her no harm.

"Cassandra, calm down, I won't let them hurt you, I promise." He told her soothingly as he approached her. "You have to calm down and let them help you..."

"They can't help me, no one can!" She screamed at him, looking into his eyes as he approached her. She pointed to the doctor. "He poisons me."

"He just gives you medication to help you." He explained gently. He saw one of the orderlies approaching, and held up a hand in warning, telling him to back off. He knew that Cassandra was a deeply troubled young woman. From what little he had found out, he knew she had spent most of her teenage years in institutions. She was prone to becoming distressed and lashing out when the delusions in her mind assaulted her to the point that she couldn't tell what was real.

"It doesn't help; it just burns in my mind!" She screamed at him. "I can feel it crawling around in my brain. I can't shut it out, all the screaming. Please, don't let them take me!"

"Cassandra, they're only trying to help." Marcus told her. "You're sick, you know you are. You were fine this morning. You know that you have a problem; you're just having an episode. Please, just try to calm down and..."

"Please, don't let them get me!" She begged him. Marcus looked to her a little sadly. She was so terrified, and her voice was so certain of her convictions. He was a little hesitant to hand her back to them. He knew that he could easily tear open the door and let her go. The guards would never be able to get past him if he didn't let them, but he had seen her having a turn before. Her delusions were so deeply rooted, that it was understandable that she would be certain. To her they were real. He placed his hands softly on her arms.

"Cassandra, I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise." He told her, looking into her eyes sincerely. He gestured the doctor forward, at which he injected her with a sedative. She looked up into his face as the drug started to take effect, calming her.

"I'll check on you later. Just let the doctor help you." He said as warmly as he could. "Remember, I won't let them hurt you."

He handed her to a pair of orderlies, but gave them both a hard glare, warning them against any further violence. Now that she had been sedated, there was no need for their over-zealous behaviour. They sheepishly took her, stepping over the unconscious forms of their comrades. No one was under any false impressions that if he decided that letting them take her wasn't the right thing to do there wasn't anything they could do to stop him.

"Come on Cassandra." The doctor told her, guiding her back to her cell. "I'll just see about getting you another treatment."

"No, please, no more treatments." She mumbled in a barely coherent voice as she was taken to her cell. "They don't help. They make the voices worse."

Marcus couldn't help feeling like he might have made a mistake in letting the doctors take her back, but he knew that Cassandra was in no state to face the world alone. She was barely capable of coping with the ordered routine of the asylum, never mind the chaos of the city. He shook his head and went back to his cell, stepping over the guards who were only now regaining consciousness, but he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt he felt at returning Cassandra to the doctor who terrified her so much. Looking around at the other patients, who were being locked back up, he started to wonder if he had done the right thing.


	57. The Asylum

Sam arrived in Mr. McAllister's garage, finding Flynn working with his father. She had hated having to cancel their dinner plans, but with Justin blackmailing her, she had no choice but to bow to his demands. She still wasn't sure how exactly she was going to keep up with the new delivery schedule.

She had taken the opportunity to harvest more growth hormone while there was an abundance of fresh cadavers to create a stockpile, thinking that she would be able to keep the pressure off for a while. Now that he was expecting double the merchandise though, she knew her stockpile wouldn't last. Maybe she could make the first delivery or two, but after that, she would be back to harvesting, and she knew that there was unlikely to be enough cadavers to make the deliveries.

She watched Flynn working on a truck with his father and felt the guilt crushing her slowly from the inside. She hated lying to him. She loved him in a way she never thought she'd ever find, she couldn't risk losing him even before she found out about the baby. She wanted to have an honest relationship with him, to be able to share herself with him completely, but that was impossible. If Flynn found out that she had killed someone before she had gotten to Corinth, then she was sure to lose him. Even if he let her explain, even if by some miracle he understood and accepted the fact she was a murderer, once news got out, she was going to go to prison. By the time she was released, she would be an old woman. Flynn would have moved on, and her child would be an adult, having grown up without her.

Flynn turned around as he got up from the engine block and smiled as he saw her. She couldn't help smiling any time she saw that look on his face. No matter how hard a day he was having, no matter what was going on in his life, he always managed to greet her with that same warm smile she had fallen for. Just seeing that smile was more than enough reason for her to keep sneaking around, trying to meet Justin's demands. It would break her heart if she knew she would never see him happy like that again.

"Hey there beautiful, I thought you had to work late." He greeted her, leaning in and kissing her cheek softly.

"I finished up about 20 minutes ago." She told him. "I'm really sorry about having to cancel. I was hoping you'd settle for a little supper at mine."

"It's alright lad, I think I can finish up here." His father stated, rousing his attention. He checked his watch, realising the late hour. "I'm pretty much just going to close her up and get these tools away before I turn in for the night."

"Flynn just washed his hands, before gathering his jacket and making his way to Sam's side, putting his arm around her.

"Supper sounds great." He answered her, leaving the garage with her. "So tell me, what are the options?"

"Well the take-away places are all shut by now, and I haven't done the groceries yet, so your options are toast, or pop-tarts."

"Pop tarts sound perfect." He laughed in response as she got into his hummer. Sam breathed a small sigh as she put on her seatbelt.

"I really am sorry I had to cancel." She told him. "I love you. I'd do anything for you, you know that right?"

"Of course I do pet; I feel exactly the same way." He assured her, reaching across. Sam couldn't look at him as he gently touched her cheek. He frowned a little at this. "Sam, you're not acting like yourself. Is everything alright?"

"I guess I'm a little spacey. I've just had a really long day." She told him.

"Work doesn't normally bother you like this." He answered as she looked at him a little upset. "Are you sure everything's alright?"

"I just...kind of need to be with you tonight." She told him. "I don't want to be alone tonight, is that alright?"

He leant across, kissing her softly, before starting the engine.

"Anything for you lass." He told her. "Anything."

The next morning, Marcus woke up in the asylum, pulling himself out of his bed and sat on the edge of it, trying to gather his thoughts about the night before. The staff had known better than to try and reprimand him for attacking them during the scuffle, and so he had woken up alone and unharmed in his cell.

He felt badly for the patients. The place had erupted into a state of panic with almost no warning. It was as if all the patients in his wing had been overtaken by psychosis all at once. It still played on his mind the horrendous way they started screaming. It echoed through the corridors, like the very building was wailing in torment and agony. The patients, most of whom looked like they were hardly capable of moving, let alone attacking anyone only a couple of hours previously had suddenly turned on the staff.

He understood the dangerous nature of the job, but he had been troubled by the overzealous and brutal way the guards had descended on the patients, letting fists, boots and night sticks do the talking for them. It was when he saw Cassandra though that he could no longer stand back and do nothing.

She was a tall girl, around 5' 1", but incredibly skinny, looking some days like a strong wind would break her in half. He could hear the terror in her voice, and see it in her eyes as she fought to free herself from the guards, lashing out with her fingernails, teeth, anything she could to get away. The guards had copped her down and started to beat her like a criminal. There was no way it needed three guards to restrain her and bring her under control.

He could remember the way she shrieked at him, begging him to help her escape. Given the way the guards had treated her, it was hardly surprising that she wanted to get away from them, but it was so much more than that. The way she panicked, it was almost as though she was convinced her life was in danger.

She had accused the doctors of poisoning her, saying that the drugs she was on were affecting her mind. She had described it as though the drugs were the cause of her turn. He had to admit that it seemed like her episode, like that of the rest of the patients seemed to come after he had seen the orderlies injecting some form of medication.

He just wished he knew for sure if he could trust her word. While it did seem like there could be a connection, he only had circumstantial evidence. Cassandra already had a history of mental illness, and had spent a long time in institutions. It was possible this was just one in a long line of delusions. It was possible she merely believed the doctors to be trying to harm her, when they were doing nothing more in truth than trying to make her comfortable.

He got up, making his way to the door and opened it. Outside, he found some orderlies making the rounds, delivering food to some of the rooms. It looked as if some of the patients were on lockdown as a result of the incident the night before. One or two were being allowed out to go to the dining area, but most were being left in their cells. As one of the orderlies saw him, turning a little pale as he remembered the way Marcus manhandled the guards the night before; he could hardly blame them for being cautious.

"We have a session beginning in half an hour." One of the doctors told him as he arrived in the hallway. Marcus recognised him as being the one that had sedated Cassandra the night before. "You should be able to eat before then."

Marcus just walked past him without a word, heading for the dining room. He didn't like the way things were going here, the way the patients were being treated didn't seem right, but he had no idea what kind of problems the patients had. Perhaps the way the guards treated them was justified, just part of their duty to the safety of each other and the patients.

Arriving at the dining hall, he was concerned once more by the lack of any signs of the other patients. Knowing that there was no way he was going to get straight answers from his fellow patients, he decided that the only way to get any definitive answers was to find them for himself.

Sam woke up the next morning, finding Flynn lying next to her, breathing gently in his deep slumber and smiled a little. She wished she could be honest with him, and tell him what was troubling her so much, but this was the perfect example of one of the reasons she loved him so much. He didn't know why she had blown off their date earlier in the day, or why she had shown up at his father's garage earlier. All he knew was that something was troubling her, and that she had told him she needed to be with him that night, and yet without even asking her, he had trusted her completely and just done as he was asked. Of course it was also the reason she felt so guilty about lying to him. He trusted her without a second thought, so every time she had to lie to him felt like an unforgivable betrayal.

Flynn turned over, his eyes opening slowly and wrapped his arms around her.

"Good morning." He whispered to her softly. He reached under the covers, placing his hand on her stomach and whispered downwards. "You too junior."

"Thanks for last night." She told him, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry about dinner. I know you were looking forward to it."

"It's alright; I understand things have been busy lately." He muttered softly as he held her closely. "This was much better anyway lass."

"I really wish I was able to get more time with you." She said apologetically.

"It's alright pet. Things might be a little hectic right now, but it's only a week until the wedding." He reminded her. "We've got all the time in the world after that."

"I don't deserve you." She said as she struggled to keep herself from breaking down in tears before him. Just then, the alarm in his morpher sounded, and Flynn groaned loudly, beginning to gather his clothes.

"It looks like I'm going to have to skip breakfast." He told her, quickly pulling on his jeans. "Sorry to run out lass."

"It's alright, I understand." She told him, getting out of the bed, the sheet wrapped around her tightly. She leaned in and kissed him passionately. "I guess I'm not the only one who's busy lately. Please, just be careful."

"I always am." He reassured her, dressing quickly. "I'll call you later."

As he left, Sam closed the door and wept. She hated having to lie to him. He was being so wonderful to her, so patient and understanding, and all she could repay him with was secrecy and lies. She was sure he deserved better than that, and more than ever, she was convinced that she didn't deserve the life he had given her, but having seen the life he was willing to offer her, that she never believed she could have, she couldn't give it up now. She had to do whatever she could to appease Justin.

Vasquez was woken up rudely by someone aggressively mashing her doorbell. She rubbed her eyes, yawning loudly as she made her way to the door.

"Alright, alright I'm awake!" She screamed in her frustration as she pulled on a robe. She got to the door, opening it to find Justin standing there, holding her cat, Elwood. The cat hissed at him, clearly unhappy about being in his grip.

"Listen love, you might want to watch the fur ball in future." He warned her, tossing the cat into the apartment. Elwood landed on his feet and scampered away into the kitchen. "He climbed in my window this morning. I woke up to find him by my refrigerator mooching for treats."

"Sorry, I must have left the window open." She replied quietly. She didn't really have much to do with her neighbour; mainly because he seemed to do everything he could to drive his neighbours away. His anti-social habits had led to speculation as to what exactly he got up to in that apartment, but that was as close as anyone got. "He didn't damage anything did he? I'll pay if..."

"He didn't damage anything this time, but if the moggy comes in my window again, he's leaving through it the quick way." He said as he took a long drag on his cigarette. He blew a puff of smoke into her face. "He might land on his feet, but I think 30 stories might be pushing his luck a little."

With that, he turned and went back to his own apartment. Vasquez went back to her kitchen, looking out some bread for toast as she opened another can of cat food.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to wander off?" She asked Elwood as he came towards her, looking at her a little annoyed. "I know he's an asshole, but he has a point. You can't just wander into people's..."

She yelped a little and recoiled as Elwood swiped at her, causing an angry, burning scratch across her hand. She had been scratched by him before, but it had been so long since he lashed out like that. It was as she slid the bowl towards him she noticed a spot of blood on the work surface. She had been scratched, but the wound wasn't deep enough for her to be dripping blood. Looking to the floor, she realised that there was also blood on the floor.

As Elwood started to eat, she reached out, checking over him, finding a small cut on one of his paws.

"Sorry about this, but I need to look at it." She told him, inspecting the wound. She found a small shard of glass in the wound and carefully extracted it, but it appeared to be much too fine to belong to a picture frame, bottle or glass. Her cat had been fine the night before, so what exactly had happened in her neighbour's apartment?

As Vasquez arrived at the central command building, Flynn and Scott were sitting in the lobby after their latest battle. It had been a pretty hectic battle, and they had come to give a report back to Colonel Truman. Scott was waiting in the lobby, not wanting to face his father after the blow-up the night before at the Garage. Flynn was keeping him company while Summer and the others gave their report up in the main office.

"Hey guys, I heard about the battle on the radio." She told them. "Is everyone OK?"

"More or less." Flynn replied in a chuckle, gesturing to a fresh black eye which was forming. "I think it gives me a certain roguish charm."

"I'm sure Sam will love the bad boy look." Vasquez replied in a little snigger.

"Well I'd need to get a bit of time with her to find out. Your boss is really over-working her." Flynn responded to her joke. "She had to blow off our date last night because you're backed up in the lab. I know she's brilliant, but Colonel Truman might want to consider hiring some more lab techs, especially before she has to arrange maternity leave."

"Sam wasn't in the lab last night." Vasquez informed him. "I went past the lab on my way home last night. All the lights were out; no one was in there since about six."

"Are you sure?" Flynn asked her. "Sam told me she had to cancel because she was working late."

"No, I'm sure, I went by the grocery store before going home last night." Vasquez stated as she recalled what she had seen. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw her at my apartment block last night. She went to visit my neighbour. I don't know why though, he's a bit of a creepy jerk. He threatened to kill Elwood this morning."

"Who?" Scott asked a little concerned. Vasquez realised that since she didn't talk about her home life much, they had no idea who Elwood was.

"Elwood's my cat." She informed him. "He got into his apartment."

"Are you sure it was Sam?" Flynn asked in response. "I'm sure she said she was working."

"You know, she is only a week away from getting married." Scott reminded him. "I'm sure there's an explanation. Maybe she's just arranging a surprise or something."

"That sounds like her." Flynn said with a somewhat distant smile. "I guess I'll know soon enough."

The others arrived down in the elevator at this point, interrupting them. Summer came over to Scott, limping a little as a result of the battle.

"Vasquez, how are you?" She asked her. "Have you heard about the wedding?"

"Yeah, I heard about it from the Colonel." She told her. "Congratulations."

"I was actually wondering if you'd like to come." Summer told her in clarification. "I know we haven't hung out as much as I'd have liked since that whole Operation City Storm thing, but I'd really like you to be there."

"Um...sure." She answered, a little taken aback. She wasn't really used to being invited to social events. "That sounds like fun. I'd love to go."

Meanwhile, back at the asylum, Marcus was wandering around the halls, looking for some of the patients. He went into the wing once the guards had gone on break, finding the place unusually silent. Given how animated and disturbed the patients had been the night before, he was expecting there to be some kind of noise from them, but the whole place was as silent as a graveyard.

He peered into a few cells, seeing the patients sitting quietly, though far from what he'd expect, none of them appeared to be restrained. Indeed, with the exception of being here, they all appeared to be quite normal.

He looked through the viewing hatch of one room, seeing a man sitting there quietly. He tapped the door gently, at which the man's attention snapped around. Clearly he wasn't sedated. His attention span and reactions all seemed to be functioning normally.

"That was a pretty wild night last night." He asked the patient. He just looked at him like he was confused. "Do you remember last night when the guards locked down the whole wing?"

"I had an episode." He told Marcus. "They happen every now and again. The guards take care of me."

"How long have you had these episodes?" Marcus asked him. The patient shook his head.

"I don't know. I just know that I need help." He replied. "They gave me medication and it helped."

Marcus just left him, thinking that he was unlikely to get any more coherent answers from him. He appeared to be reiterating the same thing the doctors did, but something still seemed wrong with this whole picture. The place had erupted into just short of a full scale riot the night before, and yet now, only a few hours later, it seemed like everyone was acting normally, like nothing was wrong.

He got to the end cell and heard a small whimpering. Looking through the viewing hatch, he saw Cassandra in this room. Unlike the other patients, she was far from normal. He could see that she had been strapped down into the bed, restrained as though for her own safety. She was babbling a little, but seemed a lot more coherent than she usually did.

He checked the door handle, finding that the door wasn't locked. Obviously the guards didn't think they needed to lock the door since she was restrained. He made his way inside, approaching her slowly. She looked at him as he came in.

"You said you wouldn't let them hurt me." She whispered. Marcus remembered his words, and smiled a little.

"I promised you I would check on you." He told her. He looked at the straps, finding that they were locked, and needed a key to open. He held her hand. "How are you?"

"Things are a lot clearer now." She told him. "The voices aren't so loud."

"You said they poisoned you." He reminded her. Cassandra just stared at him.

"They do poison me." She said matter-of-factly. "They give me that stuff and then things just get all...strange."

"Cassandra..."

"I've been schizophrenic for a long time, I know that I sometimes see things and think things, but this is different." She told him. "I just hear the voices so much louder, that I can't think. I start seeing things so much brighter that it's blinding. I feel like my head's on fire, and I can't make sense of anything."

"Are you sure it's the medication?" He asked her.

"I've been on just about every psychoactive medication there is at one time or another since I was 13." She told him. "I know how I normally feel, but this stuff the doctors give me, it isn't like anything I've ever been given before. It just..."

"What are you doing in here?" An orderly interrupted her from the door. Marcus just looked around at him. He had his wrist bound tightly in a bandage, and was badly bruised as a result of the fight Marcus had with them the night before. "You're not allowed in here."

Marcus just snorted and shook his head. He turned back to Cassandra.

"Just rest up and try to stay calm." He told her. He got up and left the room, being followed by the orderly, who locked the door this time.

"You need to leave her alone." He warned Marcus. "She's a very sick young woman."

"She seems to think you're making her that way." Marcus replied.

"Not that it's any of your business, but this wouldn't be the first time she's made up stories." The orderly said sarcastically. "I'm sure you can understand we aren't meant to go into details about patient's conditions. Confidentiality."

"The way she was last night..."

"She has a history of psychiatric illness and violence." The orderly interrupted him. "Don't let her delusions fool you."

With that, Marcus just walked away, but he had already decided that there was only one way to get to the truth.

He watched the doctor's office for a moment, waiting until he left. As the door was swinging closed, Marcus lunged forwards, catching the door. He walked inside, looking through his drawers, before finding a few of the green syringes. He hid it in his robe, before heading back to his cell and closing the door.

Marcus ensured the door was closed and no one was watching before pulling out the syringe. If he was going to find out the truth about the effects of the drug, the only way was to experience it for himself. Taking a deep breath, he plunged it into his chest.


	58. Asylum

Marcus stumbled around the room, his hands clamped firmly to the sides of his head as the drugs coursed through his veins. It felt like every square inch of his brain was on fire. Every taunt, every nasty or spiteful thing that had been said to him echoed unendingly in his mind. He fell to his knees and screwed his eyes shut, hoping to shut out the torment.

This only made things worse. In his mind he saw all the battles he had faced, all the bloodshed he had seen, but in so much more vivid detail. Every scream echoed in his ears, every death played itself before him. The smell of blood, the very sensation of death engulfed him brutally.

Within a few minutes, he found himself curled on the floor in a phoetal ball. He had been reduced to little if nothing through only a single administration of this drug. One of the orderlies rushed into his room.

"We heard you screaming." He told him. "What..."

His words were extinguished brutally as Marcus rammed him against a wall hard. He struggled, but could do nothing to fight free.

"What is this shit?" He roared as he finally started to shake his head clear of the drug's effects. His bionics filtered toxins from his biological systems quickly and efficiently meaning that if this affected him, it had to be strong. "Answer me!"

"I don't know, I'm only a nurse!" He shrieked in response. "Please, just calm down..."

Marcus could see the fear in him and knew it was more than just fear of reprisal. It was ignorance. He had no idea why Marcus threatened him. He tossed the young man aside like a worthless toy and marched out of his cell as the siren started to sound. A couple of orderlies arrived, carrying tazers.

"I'm leaving here right now, but not until I find out what I want to." Marcus warned them. He started to walk towards the doctor's office.

"Hold it right there!" One of the orderlies snapped. "That is nothing to do with you!"

"Try and stop me." Marcus replied. He felt a harsh sting as one of them fired his weapon, plunging a pair of tazer probes into his flesh. He turned back to them, his teeth gritting as he fought the pain coursing through them. He grabbed the wires and pulled the probes out.

"You so didn't want to do that." He hissed as he walked towards them slowly. Another orderly fired, hitting him square in the chest but Marcus kept going, ignoring the pain. He ripped the probes out, before grabbing the orderly, slamming him through the posse assembled in the hall. He got to the doctor's office and simply ripped the door off its hinges, tossing it into the hallway.

Marcus pulled out the drawer of the filing cabinet, looking out Cassandra's file. He found exactly what he hoped he wouldn't. The cost of her care and medication was far below what the institution was charging for her care. As he shoved the file away inside his robe, he heard others arriving in the hall. He didn't want to hurt them, he knew that not everyone would be in on the scam, but right now, he had little choice. If he wanted to help the others, he had to get out, and he was sure the orderlies wouldn't make that easy.

Sam arrived back at her apartment finding to her surprise that the lights were already on. Flynn was sitting on the couch, holding a large bouquet of roses.

"I just wanted to arrange a surprise of my own." He told her.

"So fair art thou my bonny lass, and so in love am I!" He quoted aloud as he approached her, leaning in and kissing her cheek. "And I will love thee still my dear, till all the seas gang dry."

"Robert Burns." She replied. "Flynn..."

"I don't know what you're planning, but I look forward to it." He interrupted her. He ran his fingers through her hair softly as he beheld the woman he loved. "I'm absolutely crazy about you."

"I don't deserve you." She muttered at his touch.

"Don't ever talk like that!" Flynn stated bluntly. "I know you better than anyone; I know you're an amazing person..."

"You don't know me Flynn, you can't!" She sobbed as she turned from him. He recoiled, a little hurt by her response. "I'm sorry, I really want to feel like you do, but I can't, you're such an amazing person..."

"So are you!" He told her. "Sam, I'm nuts about you. You couldn't tell me anything..."

"Flynn, there's so much about me you don't know, how can you think about marrying me?" She begged him, wiping her eyes of tear.

"Sam, I don't know, or care who you were before." He told her honestly. "All I know is that I am absolutely insanely in love with you."

"What if I'd done something bad before?" She asked him. "What if I'd done something so hideous..."

Flynn cut her off by placing a finger on her lips. He quickly replaced it with his own lips.

"Calm it lass, there's nothing you could tell me that would change this." He whispered gently. "I love you."

Sam pulled him in, hugging him desperately. He had said everything she wanted to hear, but how could it be true? How could he possibly want her once he found out she was a killer?

Vasquez arrived at her apartment just as Justin was sending away another customer. Although she hated him, her curiosity overtook her and she approached him, jamming her foot in the door as he closed it.

"I want to know what Sam was doing here." Vasquez warned him. Justin just laughed.

"The little piece of fluff from the coroner's office? Let's see, she's a young, attractive woman and I'm a good looking guy. What do you think is happening?"

"Are you trying to say she's having an affair with you?" Vasquez asked him. Justin just laughed.

"Think what you want love. Personally I have better things to do." He replied. With that, he just slammed the door in her face. She hated the idea that Sam was cheating on Flynn. She wished things were different, but it seemed like it was the truth. She didn't want to tell him, the truth would crush him, but he needed to know. She dialled her cell phone and prepared for the hardest conversation she'd ever have.

Sam was sitting in her apartment, waiting for Flynn to finish cooking when she heard the door opening. She smiled a little as she heard this.

"That smells great." She told him. Flynn spun her chair to face him. Her heart froze as she saw his face. Red streaks ran down his cheeks, showing where tears had run. His expression was one of anger and betrayal.

"You said you loved me." He growled as he looked at her hatefully.

"Flynn, I love you, I love..."

"Don't you DARE say it!" He spat in his fury. "Don't you ever dare to say that to me again!"

"Flynn, what's..."

"Vasquez just called, she told me about your little visits to her neighbour." He interrupted her aggressively. He wiped his nose with his sleeve, unable to keep his emotions in check. "Is it mine?"

"Flynn?"

"Is it MINE?" He roared as he slammed his hands into the arms of her chair. Sam felt something she had never felt before with Flynn, she felt fear. She was terrified of him, that he would lose control.

"The baby's yours!" She screeched as she looked longingly into his eyes. "Flynn, I beg you, please just listen..."

"You lied to me!" He snapped at her. "How can I believe anything you say?"

"Flynn, I haven't told you everything, but there's a good reason!" She pleaded with him. "Please..."

Flynn didn't listen though. Instead he just stormed from the apartment and left. Sam chased him, hoping that she could stop him. As she watched one of the elevators go, she knew all she could do was follow and hope she was in time.

Marcus left the doctor's office, finding himself confronted by a number of asylum staff. They were all armed, and all waiting for him. One of the doctors stepped forwards.

"I know you injected yourself with the serum. It isn't a surprise you're delusional." He told him. "Please, just calm down and...."

"I've seen the files doc, I know what's going on." Marcus told him. "You skin the patient's families for thousands of dollars every month, but their treatments only worth a few dollars."

"What are...?"

"You give them shit that makes them hallucinate, that makes their symptoms worse!" He snapped at him. "You keep them ranting and raving until the insurance money runs dry, and then you stamp their file cured and toss them out!"

"You're just under the effects..."

"My bionics filter all toxins and viruses from my systems. The serum was burned from my bloodstream long ago!" He interrupted the doctor. "I'm leaving right now."

"Well if you know this, there's no way we can let you go." The doctor told him. Two orderlies fired their tazers, shocking him and bringing Marcus to his knees. He grabbed the wires and pulled the probes from his chest, before yanking the weapons from the guards' hands. He smiled a little.

"You so did not want to do that." He hissed as he launched to the attack.

Sam arrived in the elevator in time to find Flynn pounding on Justin's door. She rushed to him, grabbing him firmly.

"Flynn..."

Justin answered the door, looking between Flynn and Sam. He could see from the uncomfortable nature of her expression that this was pretty much her worst nightmare.

"Well, the Blue Ranger as I live and breathe." He said in a casual drawl, lighting a cigarette. "So what can I do for you?"

"How do you know Sam?" He demanded of him. Justin just laughed.

"Where would be the fun in just telling you that?" He asked in response. Flynn grabbed him by the lapels, slamming him against the wall.

"What is this all about?" Flynn demanded. Justin just laughed again.

"You really don't know anything about her do you?" Justin asked him. "Where do you think she got her education?"

"She got her anatomy degree from Harvard, what does that have to do with anything?" He demanded, grinding his forearm into Justin's neck.

"She started it in Harvard, but that's not where she completed her education." Justin told him. "She got her certificate in Lexington!"

"Lexington?" Flynn asked him. "What are you...?"

"You are a piece of work. You love her and follow her like a love-sick puppy, but you don't know what a cold-hearted bitch she really is." Justin taunted him. Flynn slammed a fist into his gut, doubling Justin over as Sam ran over, trying to pull him away.

"Lexington's a maximum security prison you stupid piece of shit!" Justin spluttered as he fought for breath. "Your little honey's a jail bird."

"You're lying!" Flynn snarled at him. He turned to Sam, his eyes begging her to confirm what he had said. Instead, all he could see were tears. "He's lying isn't he?"

"Flynn, I'm sorry, I couldn't tell you." She sobbed. Flynn looked between her and Justin before storming off. She knelt in the corridor, weeping into her hands as Justin came to her, mopping the blood from his face with a hankie.

"Well that is a bad turn of events." He taunted her. "How are you..."

"Shut UP!" She screamed, slamming him into the wall hard. "I gave you everything you asked for and it wasn't enough!"

With that, she ran from the lobby, chasing Flynn, until she found herself in the street. She had no idea where he was, and had no way of following him. Instead, all she had was a knowledge of where he'd end up going.

Back at the asylum, Cassandra hears a lot of screams of pain from the corridor. She had no way of seeing, being strapped to the bed.

Just then, the door flew open as Marcus slammed his hands into it. He made his way to her side, ripping off the straps holding her down.

"Marcus?" She asked him.

"We're getting out of here, right now!" He insisted as he released her. "Follow me!"

As they got out of the cell, he saw several guards between them and the exit with shock batons. His fists tensed as he prepared for the fight.

"This is hopeless!" Cassandra told him. "This can't be good."

"No, it'll be fun!" He replied as he charged into the battle.

Vasquez opened the door as she heard the frantic knocking. She recoiled a little as she saw Sam and Flynn before her. Sam dragged him inside.

"Sam, what the hell is going on?" He asked her. Sam looked to Vasquez, but realised there was no way she could keep her secret any longer.

"What Justin said is true. I finished my anatomy degree in Lexington." She told him. "I was inside before the Venjix attacks."

"What were you inside for?" Flynn asked her, stunned by the revelation. Sam just looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Homicide." She told him. "I killed my mom."

"No, it isn't possible..."

"I did it Flynn, I killed my mom." She put down flatly. "I killed her; I knew what I was doing."

Flynn just looked at her, open-mouthed in shock. She tried to touch his face, but he pulled away sharply like her touch was caustic. He got up and left without another word. Sam just broke down in tears as Vasquez brought her a blanket.

"I did what I thought was right!" She sobbed as Vasquez held her. "I did what she asked!"

"What she asked?" Vasquez asked. "What happened?"


	59. Sam's Murder

Sam sat on the couch, finally calm enough to retell the events that had shaped almost all of her adult life. She had run from it all for so long, and had hoped that it was over, but now she knew she had no choice but to tell them.

"I was at college when it happened." She began. "She had a stroke about a year and a half into my degree. She lost all use of her legs and most of the feeling in her arms. It was months before she could even speak."

She accepted a mug of hot chocolate from Vasquez as she and Flynn sat listening to her tale.

"It was so hard to watch. She was always so strong, so stubborn...she was my hero all my life." She told them as she remembered it. "I watched as she lost everything. She lost her ability to walk, her strength, her independence, everything." She told them as she recalled it sadly. "It was too much to take. When I saw her, she wasn't mom; she was just this pale, shrivelled, weak little thing lying in a bed. One day when I was there, I was there alone and she asked me, she begged me to put her out of her misery."

"Sam..."

"She had died a couple of times, but the hospital staff had resuscitated her." Sam interrupted him. "I begged her not to make me do it, but she was so weak and frail, she just couldn't take it anymore. So I agreed. Because of my training, I knew how the machines worked, so I barricaded the door and then I turned up her morphine drip. It didn't take long. I held her hand and felt her slip away. She was smiling as she passed."

"I can't imagine what that was like for you." Vasquez stated.

"The staff tried to break in, but by the time they got in, it was too late to bring her back. I was arrested on the spot." She informed them. "It was only a couple of weeks later that I was convicted. I was sentenced to life."

"How could they possibly do that?" Flynn asked her. "You didn't do anything wrong, your mom begged you to do it, anyone would have done the same."

"I was the sole inheritor of her estate. They all thought I did it for her money." Sam sobbed as she recalled it all. "I couldn't have cared less if I was left without a penny to my name. Mom was in pain, she was suffering and this was the only thing I could do for her."

She wiped her nose with her sleeve as she recalled the fateful day that Venjix attacked.

"The Venjix drones came about seven months into my sentence. They destroyed almost the entire prison, I was sure I was the only one that survived. Once I got to Corinth, the security staff asked me for my story. When I asked what he meant, it turned out that most of the personal records had been destroyed in the raids including prison records. I just told them I was a morgue assistant and agreed to do an exam to prove it. I just took it as a second chance."

"Sam..."

"Before you say anything Flynn, I can't lie to you anymore. Before you say anything you have to know this." She told him. "I knew exactly what I was doing. I did it on purpose, and even knowing what would happen, if I had the chance, I'd do it again without a second thought."

"You killed her to spare her the pain." Flynn replied. "It was an act of mercy."

"I set her free." Sam whispered. "She was suffering so much, she was in so much pain, I couldn't let her suffer like that. I did what I had to."

"I don't doubt it for a second." Flynn replied as he approached her. He lifted her up so she was standing once more, and stroked a tear from her cheek. He kissed her softly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think you'd understand." She replied shakily. "I didn't think..."

"Sam, I love you." He told her. "I can't imagine how you could have done anything else. She was your mum and you loved her. I don't know what I'd do if I was in that situation with dad, but I can agree that I couldn't let him suffer like that."

"Justin was one of the guards at the prison. He ran into me in the street about a year ago. He recognised me right away." She admitted. "He figured out that I hadn't told the military about my record and threatened to tell them. He told me he'd have me put away if I didn't help him."

"What does he want?" Vasquez asked her.

"He sells human growth hormone." She informed them. "He knew I worked at the morgue. The most readily available source of HGH that no one will miss is cadavers. He threatened to tell everyone what I did and that I was a prisoner unless I harvested the bodies and gave him the hormone."

"You should have told me." Flynn stated sadly. She just looked at him through red, tear-soaked eyes.

"I couldn't say anything. If the military found out I'd have been thrown back in prison." She told him. "I never expected to be happy. I never meant to fall in love with you or to have a family, but now that I have, I can't risk losing it."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Vasquez got up, answering it slowly. She found Colonel Truman outside with half a dozen soldiers. Justin was in the background, sneering arrogantly.

"We heard that Sam's here." Colonel Truman began. Vasquez looked around sadly as she realised that Justin must have called the military after Flynn had attacked him.

"Colonel Truman?" Sam asked as she came into view. He sighed as he saw her.

"This citizen has informed us about an outstanding charge against you." Colonel Truman began. "Is his claim true?"

"You can't be serious man!" Flynn roared. "You can't do this. She's innocent, if you'd just get your head out your arse..."

"Is it true?" Colonel Truman interrupted her. "Were you serving a life sentence for murder?"

"She was, I was one of the guards." Justin added with a sick smile. "I only recognised her recently. She was definitely on the maximum security wing."

"It's true." Sam replied, nodding her head sadly. "I was in prison before the evacuation."

"Samantha Baxter, you are under arrest." He told her sadly, pulling out some handcuffs. She didn't even try to resist as he cuffed her hands behind her back.

"You can't do this!" Flynn roared as he shoved his way through them, grabbing Justin roughly. "You slimy sack of shite! Check his apartment, he's selling HGH, he's been blackmailing her for months!"

"Search the place all you want, you won't find anything." Justin replied in a dry tone. "Of course she has just admitted to murder."

Flynn went with them as the guards dragged her away. Vasquez remained behind as Justin lit up a cigarette. As he waved at her in a taunting gesture, she rolled her eyes and stormed inside, slamming the door behind her.

As she got to the living room, she noticed Elwood limping around the room, stepping very gingerly on his front right paw. As she noticed a spot of blood on the kitchen lino where she had yet to clean up the stain and a thought occurred to her. Elwood had been unusually aggressive when he came back to her apartment, and had swiped at her. The glass in his paw had been unusually thin. She went to the trash, fishing out the glass, and put it into a sandwich bag, before heading to the base. If her hunch was right, and the glass was from a syringe, inadvertently injecting her cat with testosterone, then Elwood may just have given her the evidence she needed to get Justin arrested.

Back at the Garage, Summer and Tenaya were gleefully playing with little Alex while Ziggy and Dillon were busy making calls to prepare for the wedding a little under a week away. Flynn came storming into the room and threw himself onto the couch. Summer looked up, a little puzzled by his apparent mood.

"Flynn, is everything alright?" She asked him. Flynn shook his head sadly.

"Scott's dad just arrested Sam." He informed them. The others looked at him a little stunned by this revelation.

"He arrested her?" Summer asked him. "What for?"

"He arrested her for murder." He informed them. Summer sat with him and held him warmly. Flynn couldn't help looking longingly at Alex, Tenaya and Ziggy. They had everything he wanted, everything he was sure that he had found with Sam. Now though, it looked like it had all been ripped away. He had lost the woman he loved to her past.

Over at the Asylum, Marcus dragged Cassandra along the corridors as he searched for a way out of the installation. She screamed as another guard came rushing at them, only to be swatted aside dismissively by Marcus.

"This way!" He called to her as he saw a sign leading to the garage. He needed to get her out of this place.

As they got into the garage, a guard was waiting for them with a shotgun. Marcus grabbed her and pulled her behind a pillar as the guard fired off a shot, narrowly missing them and spraying debris in all directions. Cassandra screamed as he fired another round.

"You're not going to ruin this for us Cassandra!" The guard called out. "This enterprise we have here is worth hundreds of thousands. Do you really think we're going to let you just walk out of here and ruin it for us?"

Marcus listened intently as the guard came closer, trying to make his way into a good firing position. Marcus rounded the corner, snatching the barrel of the gun and turning it aside as it went off. He threw the guard face-first into the side of an ambulance, before unloading the gun and tearing it apart, tossing the pieces aside.

Cassandra was huddled in the corner, rocking gently in her terror, mumbling to herself. Marcus grabbed her and helped her into an ambulance, before hot-wiring it. As more guards came into the garage, he hit the gas, speeding through the door and out into the night. He knew that it was likely that the asylum staff would have called the authorities to claim that they had escaped. He knew that there was only one person he could rely on to accept his version of events. He needed his brother.

Colonel Truman came into the remand block of the prison to check on Sam. Because she was pregnant, the decision had been made that she was exempt from work detail, and she was to be kept separated from the general population until the baby was born. She was sitting on her bed, playing with the tracking collar nervously as he gazed at her judgementally. She hated the way he looked on her now. It was as though, she had become an entirely different person in his eyes.

"I never would have thought you could do something like this." Colonel Truman told her sadly. "I can't believe you're a murderer."

Sam didn't answer him. She hated the way he looked at her now. They had been friends since she had started her job in the lab. She knew that finding out about her crime had to be like finding out he knew nothing about her. She was a kind, peaceful person. Because of the nature of her job, she had seen enough of the ugly side of human nature that she was always courteous and pleasant in her dealings with others. She reasoned that there was enough violence and ill feeling in the world without adding to it herself.

"Aren't you going to say anything to me?" He begged her. "Sam..."

"Is there anything I can say that will make you look at me like you used to?" She asked him in response. Colonel Truman just shook his head sadly and started to walk away. "Could I just ask you one favour?"

He turned back to her, looking into her eyes. He could guess what she was going to ask of him. He had known her long enough to know how much she was looking forward to her child's birth, and how important it was to her.

"Tell Flynn to take care of our baby. Tell him I love him, and I want him to be happy." She told him. "Tell him to find someone who can make him happy."

"I'll tell him Sam." Colonel Truman replied sadly. He never wanted to deliver this message. He had gone to her cell, hoping that she would explain why she had done it, that somehow she would tell him something that would make him understand and forgive her. Instead she could tell him nothing. He wanted to understand, to be able to release her, but she had confessed to murder. There was nothing he could do for her.

As he left, Sam lay back in the bed and wept. She had always hoped the past would stay buried. The truth coming out was the thing that had plagued her nightmares ever since she had been released. Now though, she was left with nothing. All she could do to console herself was to know that her baby would be in good hands with Flynn, and hope that one day he would find someone he deserved.

At that moment, Vasquez arrived in the lab, where one of the technicians was working on the piece of glass she had brought them. She came over behind him as he finished with his report.

"The glass is from a syringe alright." He informed her. "It looks like it contained HGH."

"Well that's one thing at least." Vasquez replied as she read his report. "Now all we have to do is prove that the syringe was in his apartment."

"I'll talk to Colonel Truman about getting a search warrant." He replied. "It might not help Sam, but at least the scumbag who did this to her will probably get sent down."


	60. A Daughter's Mercy

Marcus stopped the ambulance in a back street a little way from the Asylum. Cassandra was still sitting in the passenger seat, staring out the window as they pulled to a halt. She was almost silent since the attack, only occasionally letting out a tiny, weak moan which betrayed the fact she was still alive. He could only sympathise with her plight. The poor girl was rightly terrified. She had suffered from paranoid delusions for much of her life, constantly believing that others were trying to harm her. What was worse was that in this instance she was actually right.

He saw her gently tapping her forehead against the side window as she continued to moan. He had no idea how long she had been abused in that place, kept under control with medication to ensure that she had enough violent episodes at the right time to "justify" the cost of her care. The staff had indeed hurt her many times. Marcus had seen their restraining techniques himself, and he had a feeling that some of them had somewhat less than spotless pasts. He tapped her gently on the shoulder, causing her to look around. She had a small cut high on her forehead, just a short way from her hair line, which slowly leaked blood. Marcus was sure she must have been hit by stray buckshot or debris in the shotgun attack in the garage.

"We need to get out." He told her quietly. "They'll be looking for the ambulance."

"Where are we going?" She asked him. "No one believes us."

"I believe you." Marcus told her. "I have enough proof to get them shut down. If we go to my brother, he'll believe us. He'll talk to my dad and..."

"They won't believe us, no one ever does." She whimpered in her terror. "They're going to find us, they'll kill us or..."

"If you remember rightly, killing me isn't exactly easy to do." Marcus told her. He reached over, touching her cheek gently. "You know you can trust me right?"

Cassandra nodded a little. Marcus looked smiled.

"I promised I wouldn't let them hurt you." He reminded her. He started to look around the back of the ambulance, finding a couple of jackets, figuring that it was best to wear something at least a little less conspicuous. He handed one to her. He looked over her as she put on the jacket. He realised that they would still have to keep a low profile. She was only wearing a light paper gown and the jacket, and was still bleeding from the wound in her head.

He looked down at himself. He had a few wounds himself, some cuts and grazes, and electrical burns from where he had been hit with tazers and shock batons. He too was bleeding for a couple of the wounds, and was giving of a faint hint of burned flesh. With the jackets, from a distance in the dark, he was sure that they would likely pass unnoticed, but up close they hardly looked terribly inconspicuous. It wasn't going to be easy to stay out of sight for long.

He got out of the ambulance and went around to her side, helping her out. The young girl seemed to stop shivering at his touch as he pulled her close to him. He knew that one of the few good ways for a man and woman to appear inconspicuous in public was to behave like a couple. People often didn't pay much attention to couples, preferring not to interfere. Of course it also meant they could cover their injuries better from view, not to mention it was warmer that way.

"Stay close to me." He instructed her. Cassandra didn't resist, seeming instead to huddle into him with an unspoken trust that confused, but also entranced Marcus. She had no reason to trust anyone. Everyone she had met for months, possibly years had done nothing but try and hurt her or lock her away, but she seemed to accept Marcus as genuine without any hesitation. He had never seen anyone trust so implicitly so quickly, but from her it was completely unexpected.

He also found something about her generally quite soothing. He couldn't trust himself with the welfare of others. Due to the trauma of his capture and his procedure, he felt an isolation that snapped quickly and unpredictably between despair and barely controllable rage. It had been his paranoid belief that Alex could be a weapon of Venjix, and his desire to destroy him before he was even born that had led him to realise that he needed to deal with his trauma. Something about Cassandra's touch though calmed him immensely, and seemed to make him feel like he was able to trust her with his very life. She leant her head into his shoulder, hiding her wound as they made their way into the street, making their way slowly towards the Garage.

Father Larry was just finishing his chores, and beginning to lock up the chapel for the night. He was just blowing out the last candle when he heard a set of footsteps behind him. Turning around, he found Summer standing before him.

"Two visits so close together? What have I done to deserve this?" He asked her, re-lighting a couple of candles and gesturing him to come closer. "I would have thought you'd want to spend time planning the wedding."

"That's what I came to talk to you about." Summer began sadly, looking down at her feet. "There's not going to be a wedding."

"Did something happen?" Father Larry asked her. "Is everything alright?"

"Flynn just got some bad news about Sam." She told him. "She isn't going to marry him. Dillon and I decided it would be best to simply call off the whole thing. We didn't want to seem like we were rubbing salt in the wound."

"What happened?" Father Larry asked her. "Why would they pull out?"

"I don't really want to talk about it." She muttered under her breath. "I'm sorry; I just came to tell you that Thursday is free..."

"Summer, look me in the eyes." He instructed her, lifting her chin softly. He had known her for a long time, and had always had time for her when she was younger. He had a manner about him that was very soothing and calming, breaking through every barrier she could put up. Whenever she looked him in the eye, she felt like he looked straight into her heart, and could see everything that she was reluctant to say, but that she truthfully wanted someone to share. She reluctantly met his eyes. "What happened?"

"The Colonel arrested Sam." She informed him. "He found out about something she did before she came to Corinth, something serious."

"How serious?" He asked her. Summer shook her head as she looked away. "Is it really that bad?"

"I really can't..."

"It's alright Summer. I'll not ask you to betray her confidence. I know you wouldn't do that." He replied, trying to catch her gaze again. "I'll leave the booking open for now."

"But..."

"If you don't want to use it, that's up to you." He interrupted her. "Now, go back to your friend. I'm sure right now he needs all the friends he can get."

Summer just nodded as she got up to leave the chapel, turning back to him once more.

"Thanks for understanding." She stated. "I know I can always count on you."

"I'll talk to you soon Summer." He assured her. With that, she left the building. Father Larry took out his cell phone and made a call.

"Colonel Truman?" He began. "I would like to talk to one of your prisoners."

Over at the Central Command building, Colonel Truman had a lot on his plate. Not only had he recently arrested and imprisoned one of his friends for a terrible crime she had committed, that he wasn't aware of the circumstances of, but he had received a blazing complaint from the asylum. They had warned him about a couple of escaped inmates.

He had been sent footage of the escape. It horrified him that not only had many guards been hurt, and a lot of damage been caused, but the fact that it was his son that had done it.

He really didn't need any more headaches now that he had to mount a city-wide man hunt for his own son, but he had known and trusted Father Larry for a while now. He was desperate to know more about the details of Sam's crime so that, even if he couldn't find some way to release her, he would at very least understand how Sam could have done something so terrible.

He didn't want to believe that his son, whom he had done everything he could to protect, could have gone berserk and decimated the asylum he had entered voluntarily. He knew that Marcus was troubled, but the last time he had seen him, he seemed to be in control. Looking at the footage though, the evidence was there in black and white. He had not only attacked the staff viciously, putting many of them in hospital, and forcing at least one of them to use lethal ordinance, he had also taken a young girl with him.

He had sent out the order for the soldiers to search the city for Marcus and Cassandra. He had to instruct them to bring in his own son, and knowing how dangerous he was, he had done the only thing he could. He told them to do anything necessary. If Marcus really had gone on a rampage, then with his strength, they couldn't afford to take any chances.

He arrived at the cell block, finding Father Larry waiting by the security desk. He had been checked in, and had his weapons and personal items removed by the custody sergeant by the time Colonel Truman arrived and shook his hand.

"Sorry I'm late; it's been a hell of a night." Colonel Truman sighed. "I have a lot on my plate right now."

Father Larry just shook smiled in the way that he always did, that slightly self assured grin that almost seemed like he knew a lot more than he was willing to let others know.

"I promise not to keep you long." Father Larry told him. "I heard you're holding a Samantha Baxter. I just need to see her."

"I suppose there could be no harm in that." Colonel Truman told him. Just then, he heard a report on his radio.

"Sir, we just found the ambulance." A soldier informed him. "We'd like you to see this."

"Sorry to cut and run." Colonel Truman stated.

"It's alright; I wanted a little while to talk to her alone anyway." Father Larry replied. "Would you mind turning off the camera?"

"It's alright, I trust him." Colonel Truman assured the custody sergeant who looked a little unconvinced. Father Larry made his way into the holding area, and looked up, smiling as he saw that the camera had indeed been turned off.

Sam turned over on her bed as she heard someone come in, and furrowed her brow as she saw him. She wasn't expecting visitors, especially not a perfect stranger. She had seen him around, but the two of them had never really spoken.

"Who are you?" She asked him. He just approached the bars slowly.

"I'm a friend of Summer's." He informed her, reaching a hand between the bars. Sam approached him slowly, trying to get a bearing on him, to figure out what he wanted with her. "Most people call me Father Larry."

"The chaplain?" Sam asked him. "Are you here to comfort me?"

"If I can." He told her. "I just want to ask you a few things first."

"You want to know about the crime." Sam surmised. "I don't have anything to add."

"Could you come closer please?" He asked her. Sam approached the bars, at which he managed to get a good look into her eyes. He smiled and offered her a hand. Sam took it, and felt an unbelievable warmth and comfort from his touch. It was like that of a loving parent. Looking into his eyes, she found a connection she couldn't explain. She felt safe, and protected by his touch. "I want to know. Who did you kill?"

"I...I killed my mother." She said softly. She couldn't believe that she had managed to say that much to him, but something about him made her trust him completely. He nodded in understanding.

"I can tell there's sadness at her passing." He continued, pulling her forward a little gently. He placed a hand on his cheek, and got a little smile. "You were happy for her to go, but not for yourself."

"No. I loved her." Sam whispered, unable to tear herself away from him as her tears started to run down her face. "I miss her every day, but she was in so much pain. She was so weak and..."

"She thanked you before she went." He said, stroking away a tear. Sam nodded as he said this. She had never said this to anyone. It was the one good memory she had of the deed, knowing that she had finally released her mother from her torment. He released her, just before the door opened, and Colonel Truman entered.

"I'm satisfied. I needed to see her to be sure, but I knew a Mrs. Baxter who had a daughter named Samantha." He told the Colonel. Sam looked a little baffled by this. Until now, she was sure she hadn't met him. "I acted as a minister during her illness."

"Her illness?" Colonel Truman asked him. He turned to look at Sam. "What's he talking about?"

"Her mother suffered a debilitating stroke. She was bed-ridden by it, and was almost completely paralysed. She suffered for months." He told Colonel Truman. "During many of the sessions I prayed with her, she asked me to help her end her torment."

"What are you saying?" Colonel Truman asked him.

"Her mother was degenerating slowly, but inevitably. She was going to die." Father Larry stated flatly. "She never did anything the Lord wasn't going to do anyway. I prayed many times over the quandary of whether to do it myself or not. Sam simply loved her mother enough to do it before I could."

"Is this true?" Colonel Truman asked her. "Did you assist your mother in committing suicide?"

"She asked me to do it." Sam replied. "She asked me, and begged me. I didn't want to do it, and she didn't want to ask me, but she just couldn't do it herself. She needed me."

"This changes a lot of things. I really need to consider what you've told me very carefully." Colonel Truman said thoughtfully, beginning to walk away. "I have to consult with advisors."

"We'll be ready to speak further on this matter." Father Larry told him, casting a little look to Sam. Her mouth hung open in amazement. She couldn't believe he was willing to stand up for her, especially a man she couldn't remember meeting before. Colonel Truman left the room, leaving them alone with each other, at which Sam turned to him.

"I don't remember you comforting my mom." Sam told him. "In fact, I don't remember mom seeing a minister at all."

"What would you like me to tell you?" Father Larry asked her.

"How did you know about her?" She asked him. "I've never told anyone that story." Father Larry just took her hand once more and smiled.

"You did tell me. Just not how you thought." He replied. "I happen to believe the truth is like a sword. It can be used to protect, or it can cause more harm than good."

"You lied to the Colonel?" She asked him.

"I can feel how much pain you've carried since that day, and I know that you have a good and pure heart. You are no murderer." He told her. He placed a hand on her stomach, an act which she made no attempt to stop, as she felt her trust in him building unexpectedly. "One child has lost a mother to this tragedy. No good will come from another child being made to grow up without a mother."

"But...you lied..."

"The only thing I lied about was my presence in the events in question." He interrupted her. "What else have I said that isn't true?"

Sam paused as he said this. She still had no idea how he could possibly have known about her mother's request, or of the diagnosis the doctors had delivered. There was no way he could possibly know without being told, but he had the details all right.

"The way I see it, Corinth gave us all a second chance to do what's right. What good would keeping you in here do?" He asked her. "If you truly want to honour your mother's memory, then what you will do is promise me that if you are released, you will marry the man you love so much, and you will raise that child to the best of your ability. You will live a happy and full life. Can you make that promise?"

"I...I can." She murmured. Father Larry turned and made his way to the door.

"I've kept your appointment for Thursday open." He informed her. "I'll see myself out."

As he left, Sam sat on the bed, her head spinning with the events of the night. How could he have known? Why did he want to help someone he owed nothing to? She could do nothing but sit and wait until the Colonel returned with his verdict, but she was sure that what he had said had made a difference. She just couldn't dare to hope that she might be released.

Meanwhile, over at the Garage, the others were heading to bed. Tenaya and Ziggy had taken Alex and put him down some time ago, but hadn't returned, which the others took to mean they had fallen asleep themselves. They were completely exhausted most of the time, and were still trying to get used to the rhythm and routine of parenthood. Summer and Dillon weren't far behind them. After the day he'd had, Flynn had understandably been in no mood for company and just gone to bed, while the twins had spent a long day performing tests on the zords in preparation for Venjix's next move, and they too had turned in for the night. Dr. K and Scott were the only ones left.

Scott had been sent word of Marcus' escape, and instructed to keep the Colonel informed if he turned up. It was the first time either of them had spoken since they'd had their falling out, and once again, the only thing Colonel Truman could talk about was Marcus. He was a foul mood, and so Dr. K was doing what she could to comfort him. They were lying on the couch, Dr. K settling into his arms comfortably, while Scott stroked her hair gently with his hand.

Just then, the door opened and Marcus came in with Cassandra. Dr. K and Scott got off the couch quickly, only for Marcus to hold up a hand.

"Scott, please, you have to help us." He insisted.

"Marcus, every soldier in the city is after you!" Scott yelled as they came in. "What the hell are you thinking?"

"This isn't what it looks like. I didn't freak out; I just had to get Cassandra out of there." He stated, gesturing her forward. "Something seriously bad is going on in there."

"Marcus, I know you think..."

"I'm not having an episode, please, you have to believe me. I know this looks bad, but I promise you that I'm on the level." Marcus interrupted him. "Scott, please, you're the only one that can help."

Scott looked to Cassandra.

"Marcus, you broke a patient out of the maximum security wing." Scott reminded him.

"Please, he's telling the truth." Cassandra pleaded with him. "He trusts you implicitly, and I can tell you love him too. We need your help."

Dr. K and Scott looked at each other a little uneasily. As much as they knew they should try to convince him to go back, they both just felt that they needed to help them.

"You're hurt. Let me look at those wounds." Dr. K said to Cassandra softly. Cassandra nodded and followed her into the lab. Scott just watched them go, before turning back to Marcus. He shook his head gently.

"I'm probably going to regret this." He sighed. "Tell me what's going on."


	61. Sam's Judgement

It had been a long night for Scott and Dr. K by the time Marcus had relayed his story. Cassandra was lying, curled up on the couch, finally able to get some sleep. Dr. K approached them, carrying the reports from her analysis of Cassandra's blood.

"Well Marcus is right; it is the drugs causing her attacks." Dr. K told them, looking over to where she was sleeping. "I can't comment on her general psychological health, but this stuff she's been injected with is a powerful psychoactive drug."

"They use it on her and all the other patients." Marcus informed them. "The only reason they never used it on me is because of my implants. They know that any foreign agents in my bloodstream get metabolised out too quickly, so they don't give me anything."

Scott took the report from Dr. K. It was attached to a printout detailing the drug and its symptoms.

"Disorientation, paranoia, delusions, adrenaline production, elevated heart rate..." Scott read out, analysing just some of the symptoms before flipping it closed, shaking his head in disbelief. "This is serious stuff. She must have been scared out of her mind when she was on this stuff."

"I took some just to confirm my suspicions." Marcus stated, causing them to look at him. "Even with my resilience, it was a seriously scary trip. I couldn't imagine what it must be like for them."

"Her blood work reads like the inventory from a drug store. It's practically glow in the dark." Dr. K commented. "It looks like they've been giving her regular doses for a while now. Months, maybe even a year."

"They charge her family's medical insurance over 30,000 dollars a month for her care." Marcus told them, picking up the file he had stolen from the asylum. "According to this, the drugs only come to a few hundred dollars."

"So they're just ripping off the insurance companies." Scott surmised. "Even with only a couple of patients like that, they'd be earning a fortune."

"The wing I was in was full." Marcus stated. "All of them were on that stuff."

"So they give the patients this stuff a few times a month..."

"And the patients have freak outs on cue to prove they still need treatment." Marcus concluded the story. "Once the insurance money dries up, the treatments stop, they stamp the file cured and the family's none the wiser."

"I hacked their database and checked the patient's names." Dr. K added. "Oddly enough, most of the patients in that wing have very familiar surnames. Hopkirk, Lance, Willis..."

"Basically some of the richest families in the dome." Scott concluded. "Marcus, I'm sorry I ever suspected you."

"It's alright; I know I haven't done much to inspire confidence lately." Marcus replied. Scott shook his head.

"No, I should have trusted you from the start." Scott told him. "So should dad."

"I'll turn myself in to him, but only once we get that place shut down." Marcus told him. "Until then, Cassandra's life is in danger. They can't afford to let her get the word out."

"She'll be safe here." Dr. K told him. "Scott, prepare a bed for her in my lab. It's only a matter of time before the military decides to search here again."

Scott went to the couch, and gently shook Cassandra awake. She looked up to him nervously.

"I'm going to get you a bed." He told her. "You'll be safe here."

"Marcus told me you'd look after us." She replied, taking his hand. "You have a good heart. I can see why he trusts you so much."

"We'll do what we can." Scott told her. "Once my father..."

"You don't have to feel that way about him." She interrupted him. Scott looked at her a little curiously. "Your father I mean. You don't have to feel second place."

"How did you know...?"

"I got a feeling from the way you keep mentioning him that you aren't as close as you'd like." Cassandra continued. "I know you think Marcus has come between you, but that isn't what he wants."

"I don't know what Marcus has told you..."

"Marcus didn't tell me anything. I figured it out for myself." Cassandra told him. "He loves you, I can see that. He trusts you so much, he doesn't have any idea that you resent him."

"I don't..."

"You don't mean to be, but you feel pushed aside since he came back." Cassandra told him as he rolled out a temporary bed in the lab. "You don't have to worry. Marcus has no desire to take your place in your dad's life."

As she got onto the bed and pulled the covers over herself, Scott looked at her curiously. If she was telling the truth, if Marcus hadn't spoken to her about their father, then how could she know about how he felt?

In the Central Command building, Sam was brought into a room, with three high-ranking military officers, one of them Colonel Truman, sitting at a table. Father Larry was already sitting in the room, preparing to make his statement in her defence.

"You may take a seat." Colonel Truman told her. Sam did as she was instructed. "This hearing has been called since new information relating to your case has come to light."

Sam just sat, listening to the proceedings. She still couldn't fathom what Father Larry's reasons were for lying to them. She knew he couldn't possibly have known the facts surrounding her mother's death, and she hadn't told him all the details, so she didn't know how he could have known enough to come up with the story.

"Ms. Baxter..."

"Sam." She interrupted the officer to Colonel Truman's left. She fingered her tracking collar nervously. She knew of Captain Lewis' reputation as a somewhat conservative and strict man. His idea of justice came straight from the Old Testament. "Please, call me Sam."

"Sam, why did you never mention the murder charge when you arrived in Corinth?" He asked her sternly. Colonel Truman waited for her answer. While he was her friend, he had to hear this.

"When I found out my records were lost, I took this as a chance to do good." She told them. "I knew with my training, I could help the justice department. I thought I'd do more good there than in a cell."

"So you believe you are above the law?" He asked her. "You were tried and convicted of a crime by a jury of your peers."

"I thought this hearing was to discuss the nature of her crime, not the events afterwards." Father Larry interjected. Captain Lewis just looked at him a little shocked.

"Sam, you did not tell us about the victim or the nature of your crime." Colonel Truman stated. "Why?"

"It's something I've not talked to anyone about for some time." She told him. "It's something of a bad memory for me."

"Of course, the fact you got out of prison didn't factor into your decision at all." Captain Lewis sneered.

"It wasn't prison that upset me!" Sam protested. "I had lost my mother."

"Father Larry, you knew Mrs. Baxter didn't you?" Colonel Truman asked him.

"I did indeed. We prayed together many times." He told him. "She was a wonderful woman."

"You claim that she had expressed a desire to end her own life." He continued.

"She had suffered through much. She was almost completely crippled by her stroke. If she had the ability to do so, she would undoubtedly have ended her own life." He told them. "She asked me for assistance on more than one occasion."

"But you didn't do so." Captain Lewis responded.

"I had considered it." Father Larry told him. "I prayed over it many times for guidance."

"It is not man's place to decide if a life is to end." Captain Lewis said gruffly. "The Lord's will..."

"Is it a sin to put an animal out of its misery?" He asked him. "If she were a dog or a horse there would be no such discussion."

"She was a human!" Captain Lewis reminded him. "All life is a gift."

"The greatest of all virtues is mercy." Father Larry responded. "I prayed over the issue for some time. The decision was taken out of my hands, but if Sam hadn't done it, I would have."

"The Lord's..."

"The Lord's will works in many ways." Father Larry snapped at him. "Perhaps it was present in Sam's decision to help her mother."

"When you were convicted..."

"I was convicted because people thought I did it for my mother's inheritance." She told them. "I only did it because she begged me to. I couldn't have cared less about the money."

"We only have your word..."

"I have already stood witness to the fact Mrs. Baxter wanted assistance in ending her life." Father Larry interjected. "Are you calling me a liar?"

Captain Lewis just backed down at this. He wasn't happy, but he would never publically accuse a minister of perjury.

"Is there anything you would like to add to this case before we vote?" Colonel Truman asked Sam. She stood up, looking to Father Larry. She still had no idea what his motivation was, but this was her last chance to say something about the case.

"I ended my mother's life. I did it knowing what I was doing, and I do not regret my decision." She told them. "I miss her every day, but in my heart I believe I did the right thing. I will stand by any decision the board makes, but I would just like to say that I have worked hard for the city. All I want now is for my child to be taken care of, and Flynn will do that. I leave the decision to you."

"Well, it's time for us all to vote." Colonel Truman stated. "Captain Lewis?"

"I vote for her sentence to stand." He told them. "However good the intentions, what she did is still murder. She compounded her crime by wilfully deceiving us about her criminal past. We cannot allow her crimes to go unnoticed."

"How about you Major Newman?" He asked the officer on the other side.

"I vote for acquittal." She responded. "While her actions were not strictly speaking lawful, I see no benefit in keeping her in prison. I believe the city would be best served if she was to continue to work for the justice department."

Sam looked a little nervous now. The decision was split; it was now down to Colonel Truman to decide.

"Sam, we cannot simply ignore your crimes." He began. She felt her heart deflating as she heard this. "However, your crime was not one of malice. When I lost my wife, the only blessing was that she did not suffer. I agree with Major Newman that you would best serve the city if you were released. I see no good that would come out of having another child without a mother and relieving our justice department of such a valuable worker."

He looked to both his fellow officers, before proceeding.

"Sam, I am recommending that your sentence be reduced accordingly with the new information." He told her. "You were imprisoned for seven months, and you have served us faithfully since the dome was founded. I vote that we suspend the remainder of your sentence, under the condition that you continue to serve the city in your current capacity for a period of five years. You are free to go."

She breathed a sigh of relief as he approached her, taking out a key and unlocking her collar. He took it off her, and smiled.

"You are free to go." He told her. "I imagine there is someone you would like to see."

"Thank you." She responded, quietly. She left the room, followed closely by Father Larry. She stopped short and turned to him.

"Why...?"

He cut her off by pressing his finger to her lips and smiled.

"Justice was done, that's all I care about." He told her. "If you want to thank me, just ensure the child has a good life. I'll see you for the wedding."

With that, he walked off, leaving her alone. She really wished she knew how he knew enough to make the statement that got her released, or what he had to gain by doing so. As she considered it, she smiled when her thoughts turned to what he had said. All she wanted right now was to see Flynn and tell him the news that she was now free to spend her life with him. The mystery of Father Larry's motives would have to wait. Right now, all she wanted was to find herself back in Flynn's arms.

Back at the Garage, Scott found Marcus casually picking a few errant pieces of buckshot from the shotgun attack out of a wound in his back with tweezers. He had foregone treatment of his own injuries until such time as he was sure Cassandra was safe, but now he was taking the time to treat himself. He watched as Marcus struggled to reach around.

"I'll get that for you." Scott told him, taking the tool from him. Marcus just relaxed and let him start to inspect the wound. "You took a hit there."

"The pillar took most of it." He replied. "The range he was firing from if he'd hit, he'd have cut Cassandra in half."

"Marcus, I'm sorry I didn't believe you earlier." He replied. "You're my brother, I know you well enough to know you wouldn't lie about something like this."

"Scott, I know my problems have made my judgement somewhat questionable." He replied.

"It's more than that. I...I kind of wanted it to be true." Scott admitted. "I wanted it to just be a delusion."

"I don't understand." Marcus told him "You wanted me to be crazy?"

"Marcus, I know it's wrong, but in some ways I've found myself wishing you hadn't come back." Scott told him honestly. "I love you, and I always wanted you to come back, but part of me was a little...sorry you did."

Marcus looked understandably hurt by what Scott had said. He reached into his wound, pulling out a ball bearing.

"When we thought you were dead, it tore dad's heart out." Scott told him. "We were both so broken up about it, but over that time, we came to depend on each other. Now you're back..."

"You're worried you're going to lose that?" Marcus asked him.

"When dad saw you for the first time, it was like I wasn't even in the room." He told him. "For my whole life, I was invisible to him. He always compared me to you. He never once said he was proud of me, or supported anything I did. I did everything he did just to get him to notice me, but you'd already done it first, and better."

"I know it can't have been easy to tell me this." Marcus told him.

"You were always his Golden Child. Nothing I could ever do was enough to make a difference." He told him. "When he saw you for the first time, he forgot I was even there. It felt like that was all starting all over again."

"I never tried to keep dad from you." He told him. "After he lost mom, he went to pieces. She was his whole world, and he lost her before she could see us grow up. In a lot of ways he tried to fill the void she left in his life. He just didn't do it well."

"What are you talking about?" Scott asked him.

"From the day I was born, everyone expected so much from me. I was the first born son of the legendary Mason Truman." He explained. "He pushed me so hard. He was so determined that I wouldn't miss out on anything more because we lost mom so young. Every test, I was expected to get an A. Every sports team I was on, I was expected to be the captain."

"Marcus, you did all those things." Scott told him.

"Not because I wanted to. I only did it because he expected it of me." He continued. "The only time I felt like I was good enough, like he was proud of me was when I was doing what he did. I even joined the military because he wanted it."

He breathed a sigh and looked to his younger brother.

"I couldn't just be myself and do what I wanted. Everyone expected me to be this amazing hero just like him." He concluded. "In some ways I was jealous of you. You never had those expectations thrust on you like that. Sometimes I wished I could be a little less visible to dad."

"I had no idea things were like that for you." Scott told him. "You were jealous of me?"

"I don't want to come between you and dad." He told him. "I just want to get on with my life."

With that, Scott finished up with Marcus' wound, before pausing for a second.

"When this is over..."

"I'm going back to the institution." Marcus interrupted him. "Scott, I still need time."

"I was just going to ask you if you wanted me to visit." Scott told him. Marcus smiled.

"I'd really like that." He told him.

Summer came into the room, finding them talking.

"Scott, your dad's here." She told him. "He's asking for Marcus."

"I guess we can't put this off any longer." Marcus sighed. "Are you ready baby brother?"

"What's the matter bro?" Scott asked him. "Do you want to live forever?"

With that, the Truman boys got up and made their way to face the military. They needed to get the truth out, but they were going to face this the way a family should. They would face the world together.


	62. Family Problems

Hicks made his way into the park deep in the night. He had found himself unable to sleep, still being turned inside out by recent events.

The park had closed long ago, the gates being locked to discourage anyone from entering the park during the hours after the caretaker had gone home. It wasn't much of an obstacle for someone with his training though, and within a couple of seconds, he was flipping himself over the top of the gate, landing nimbly on his feet on the other side.

He had been thinking a lot about Gemma, and what she meant to him. He didn't mean to keep hurting her; he just didn't know what to do. He had grown close to her across the time she had helped him. When he first met her and Gem, much like everyone else, he saw her as a bit of a joke. Over time though, she had done so much for him to help him with his loss that he couldn't help noticing how kind and warm-hearted she really was.

He had known all about her feelings for him, ever since he found the drawing she had made for him. It was a childish little thing, like all of her other work, but the meaning was all too clear. Even though the picture itself was childish, the sentiment was clear. She had been attracted to him from the moment she'd first laid eyes on him, just before the Rangers went to release the prisoners from Venjix's factory. He had already guessed she liked him from the way she constantly sniffed around him, barely able to look at him, much less speak to him, but once Dr. K explained their upbringing, and he saw the picture he knew her feelings were real, and much stronger than he had thought.

As he made his way towards the memorial, he thought about the time he had spent with her since then. He had grown to find so much about her that he liked. She was a courageous and thoughtful woman, constantly putting the needs of others before her own. Even though it had to be difficult for her because of her feelings, she had been the first to reach out to him when the truth about his family had come out. She had visited him every day, simply letting him talk when he needed to, or not when he couldn't bring himself to do so.

In return he had done little for her. He had used her to facilitate Ziggy's plan to destroy the cartels, already knowing that her feelings for him and her selfless bravery would lead her to come to his rescue. He had broken her heart for a second time when he admitted his deception, and a third when, rather than being able to give her a straight answer about how he felt, one way or another, had only told her that he didn't know.

He hated himself for leaving her hanging. He didn't want her to cling to false hope, but his feelings still confused him. He did care deeply for Gemma; so much so that he needed to find the answers he sought, so that he could avoid completely destroying her heart by lulling her into a sense of hope that didn't exist. Any time he was close to her, he felt a lot of the same things he had done for his beloved Jessica. Sometimes she reminded him of his wife, which was likely one of the reasons it bothered him so much. As much as she comforted him, and always made him feel good about himself, any time he started to think about her, he felt like he was cheating on Jessica. He felt like he was betraying her memory.

Arriving at the monolith, he pulled out a flashlight, searching through the names before finally finding the name he was looking for, his wife Jessica Hicks.

He put away the flashlight and knelt down, laying a single sunflower by the plinth. He smiled a little as he looked to the name. Nobody knew what he did when he wasn't working, but that was largely as a result of him deliberately forming ties with no one at the base. He had forced himself to live for the day he either avenged his family's deaths, or was sent to be reunited with them. When he wasn't at the base, when he had to go home, he spent his time visiting the memorial. Since his time with Gemma though, he had not spent as much time doing so.

"Sorry I haven't been visiting as much as I used to Jessie." He began, looking at the name. "I guess I've been letting down a lot of the women in my life recently."

Over at the Garage, Scott, Marcus and Dr. K made their way into the main room, finding Colonel Truman standing there alone. Scott was sure his father knew that between himself and Marcus, the military didn't have much that could stop them, and so had likely convinced his guard contingent to wait outside while he tried to reason with Marcus and convince him to return to the asylum. The other Rangers just stood aside, not wanting to get involved unless they had to. No one knew what was happening, or what side to take. They only knew that they had to hear the story.

"I thought you might come here." He commented, seeing Marcus with his brother. "Marcus, I know things must be hard, but you have to be patient. This won't get better overnight..."

"I'm not the problem, they are." Marcus replied gruffly. Colonel Truman just shook his head sadly.

"I know about your accusations. The orderlies told me you accused them of poisoning the patients." He informed him. "Marcus, I saw the security footage. You were out of control, it's a miracle no one was killed."

"I knew exactly what I was doing; no one was in danger of being killed." He responded sharply, before looking to the floor. Even after all this time, he still felt like a child before his father. He couldn't bear to be subject to his judgement, or his shame. "Except Cassandra."

"Cassandra is a very sick girl." Colonel Truman reminded him, taking a small step forward. "I've seen her file; she's been delusional for years. You can't take her word for these wild claims."

He took another step forward, trying to look his eldest son in the eye as he tried to reason with him.

"You may think you've done her a service, but she needs treatment." He told Marcus. "She needs treatment. She needs to go back."

"I can't let that happen." Scott said flatly, stepping between them as he saw Marcus weakening a little to his father's gaze. He had seen this in him before. Unlike Marcus, Scott hadn't been continually pressured and scrutinised the same way. Less was expected of him, and he was, by comparison ignored. As a result, he was able to observe from the outside, and see that his father wasn't perfect. He was a lot more capable of standing up to him than Marcus had been, and was more defiant in front of him. "He's telling the truth dad, if Cassandra goes back, they'll kill her, and probably him too."

"The doctor warned me about this." Colonel Truman stated sadly. "Cassandra is very convincing. She honestly and passionately believes..."

"He's right Colonel Truman, I've run the tests myself." Dr. K interrupted him, handing him the file. "Her bloodstream has a number of foreign agents in it which are not helpful in the slightest. They've been injecting her regularly with a drug which worsens her symptoms."

Colonel Truman read through the file, trying to make sense of the technical terms and jargon on the page, looking confused. He understood some of it, but most of it may as well have been a foreign language. All he understood were the sections relating to the drugs and their side-effects.

"The people on that wing of the hospital are relatives of some of the richest families in Corinth." Scott told him, turning the page to the chart relating to Cassandra's treatment. "The hospital's charging tens of thousands of dollars for treatments only worth a few hundred. It's insurance fraud."

"You mean they keep people in there for money?" Colonel Truman asked him.

"The only way they'll ever get out is if the insurance money dries up." Scott told him. "Until then, with these drugs, they'll keep having attacks, proving they're still in need of treatment. With that serum, they can be kept in there indefinitely."

"I can't believe anyone would do this." He gasped. Scott handed his father a couple of pellets he had removed from Marcus' wound, at which he looked completely confused.

"Those were in his shoulder." Scott informed him. "They tried to kill him and Cassandra when they were about to escape. They're too close to revealing their operations."

Just then, the other Rangers made their way over, standing behind Scott. Colonel Truman watched them and realised that they had made their choice.

"Dr. K's always had our back...

"...If she says this..."

"...is true..."

"...We're behind her!" Gemma and her brother stated, standing behind the tiny woman.

"She's never given me a reason not to trust her." Flynn told the Colonel. "If this is what she thinks is right, then I'm with her."

"No one has the right to mess with a family." Ziggy added, coming over with his arm around Tenaya, who was cradling Alex while he slept comfortably between screaming sessions. "If anyone touched Alex, it'd be the last thing they'd ever do."

"We hybrids have to stick together." Dillon said, gesturing to Marcus. "I say you and I show them what happens when you turn a gun on one of us."

Summer never said anything, instead, just taking Dillon's hand as she took her position with them. Colonel Truman looked to the report one last time, before looking to the Rangers and Dr. K. He still didn't know what to make of the story he'd heard, but seeing his two sons and Dr. K standing in defiance, he made the decision that he would stand with them. They had never given him a reason to doubt them before.

"What do we do?" He asked them. Scott just grinned. "If they're willing to kill to cover their tracks and we send in the troops en force, they might just torch the evidence, including the patients."

"I say we take a little lesson from the Spartans." He replied, placing a hand on Marcus' shoulder. "Fancy playing Trojan horse?"

Back at the park, Hicks was still kneeling by the monolith, trying to find the way to get his feelings into words. He reached up, touching Jessica's name on the monument after what felt like hours.

"You know I was never any good at this stuff." He told her, almost as though she were still with him. "You were my best friend for my whole life, and you still had to make the first move."

He saw withdrew his hand, almost as though the letters would burn him. She had been everything to him at one time. All he wanted was to start a family with her, and settle down. He had never given any thought to leaving the farm. Everything he had ever wanted in life was there.

"I love you Jessica, I always will. I just don't know what to do about this." He continued sadly. "Gemma's really great. She's funny and thoughtful and...I know what I feel for her and it isn't friendship. The last time I felt anything this strong was for you."

His thoughts turned back to Gemma, and how he had left her hanging the last time they had spoken. As much as he didn't want to hurt her anymore, he knew he owed her a straight answer whether or not there could ever be anything between them.

"I hate feeling like this." He admitted. "I really wish you could give me some sign, to tell me what I should do."

The monument just sat, silent as always. He longed to hear her voice, to have some sign that she had heard him and to hear what he should do. He wished he could just find out how she would react, to know what was right. In the relationship, she had always been the smart one. She was the one who realised their friendship had changed into something much deeper. She was the one who always knew just what to say or do in any given situation. He could do with that wisdom now, but the stone was cruelly unhelpful.

"I should be going." He told her, leaning in and kissing the stone softly. He got up, before turning to leave the monument, but stopped as he noticed something curious at the base. A small crack had appeared in the base a little below the side of the monolith bearing the names of his family. Something seemed to be growing out of it.

He pulled out his flashlight again, and inspected the crack, pulling out some grass and moss gently with his finger. He smiled as he saw it. A dandelion sprang out of the stone. Hicks picked it up and twirled it between his fingers as he remembered it.

When she had come back after dropping out of college, Jessica had come to tell him how she felt and explain that she had come home because she couldn't bear to be away from him. She had kissed him passionately, their first kiss, as she told him that she loved him. Hicks knelt down, and picked her some dandelions, giving them to her and kissed her in response. He had said that he felt he should give her flowers, but they were too far from any florists. From that day on, dandelions had been their flower. It was likely only a coincidence, but there was a part of him that liked to think that it was her way of reaching him.

Back at the asylum, Colonel Truman went with Marcus to the front door, being greeted by orderlies. Marcus was fitted in heavy duty restraints that looked strong enough to hold even him. Colonel Truman held up a hand as the orderlies came to collect him.

"Where's the girl?" One of the orderlies asked him.

"She is still at large. My men are looking for her as we speak." He said flatly. "I will only hand my son direct to the doctor. You understand."

"Sorry, but he tore this place apart last night." One of them replied. "We're only letting the doctor see him once we're certain he's secured."

"He's not going to be a threat." Colonel Truman assured them. "These restraints were created by Dr. K herself."

"After the way he tore this place up, how can we be sure they'll hold him?" Another asked.

"If I could get out of them, you'd all be lying in a heap already." Marcus spat as he glared at them hatefully. The orderly reluctantly accepted this as a valid argument.

"I would like to speak with the doctor." Colonel Truman stated. "Bring him out here please."

As one of the orderlies got onto his radio to contact the doctor, Colonel Truman caught a glimpse of Ziggy appearing on the roof just above the maximum security wing, awaiting the next stage of the plan. Summer, Dillon, Gem and Gemma were waiting, hidden in strategic points a little way off, waiting for the word to move in. Colonel Truman turned his attention back to the door as the doctor arrived.

"I understand you want to talk to me." He greeted the Colonel. "Let's get inside."

"I want assurance my son will be safe." Colonel Truman replied. "You understand my reservations."

"Any parent would feel the same." He replied. "Escort Marcus back to his cell, I'll be along to examine him shortly."

Back at the Garage, Flynn, Dr. K and Tenaya were all sitting around, monitoring the situation remotely. They had to survey their tactical options. Dr. K had already pulled up a full blueprint of the building, and transferred it to a three dimensional holographic display, while Tenaya was monitoring the security footage.

"They're inside." She told them. "Flynn, are you sure that teleport homer of yours will work?"

"It's accurate to a tenth of a centimetre." He reminded her calmly. "He can't see inside the building, so we need to ensure he doesn't end up in the wrong room."

"How's the tracking beacon working?" Tenaya asked him.

"It's reading loud and clear." He assured her. "We'll know exactly when to act."

"I'm pleased to hear that." He heard a voice from behind him. Tenaya, Dr. K and Flynn all turned around, finding Sam coming into the room. Flynn got up from his station, approaching her slowly. He couldn't believe that he was seeing her here. Reaching out to touch her, make sure she was real, a tear ran down his face as he realised he wasn't dreaming. She nodded.

"It's true, I was released a few hours ago." She assured him. "Colonel Truman called a hearing to discuss my sentence."

"You're free?" He asked her. She nodded again, her happiness overcoming her at being reunited with him.

"He decided that prison wasn't the best place for me." She informed him. "He suspended my sentence for five years on the condition I continue to work for the justice department."

"I can't believe this has happened." He replied as he held her tightly, as though he would never let her go again in case someone else tried to take her from him. "You're really free!"

"I'll be here for the baby." She told him. "Flynn, I love you so much, I'm sorry I never told you about all of this. I was just so scared..."

"Calm yourself pet. There's nothing you could do that would make me turn from you." He assured her. "Family is all that matters."

"Flynn, the beacon's on the move." Tenaya told him, a little sorry at having to interrupt the moment. "This will have to wait."

"Sorry lass, we'll do this properly once this is over, I promise." He assured her.

"Sam, I'm going to need to concentrate here. Would you mind watching Alex?" Tenaya asked her. Sam made her way over, taking Alex from her arms and left the room. She wanted to spend time with Flynn, but she had always accepted from the start that the nature of his responsibilities meant that sometimes tender moments had to wait. Looking down at Alex though, she could only think about her own child and felt content. They were going to have their life together. She could wait a few more hours.


	63. Cassandra's Gift

Cassandra woke up in Dr. K's lab, looking around at the people surrounding her. Gem and Gemma were helping Dr. K with the analysis of the building, while Sam was in the corner, tending to Alex.

As she made her way over, instinctively wrapping her arms around herself as though to protect her from unimaginable cold, she couldn't help feeling differently. For years everyone she had met had done nothing for her but stick her under a microscope. She had been a human lab rat for much of her young life, but in her short time since Marcus had freed her, she had felt a way she hadn't done in as long as she could remember. She felt safe.

Passing Gem and Gemma, she couldn't help smiling. She hadn't yet had a chance to speak to them, but the twins had an energy and a cheerful disposition about them that took her back to her childhood, to a time before the voices all became too much for her. Around them, she felt warm, full of wonder and childish optimism. Gem looked at her and gave her a wave between perimeter scans, which she returned with a small smile.

As she came to Dr. K she felt differently. She had spoken with her, at least briefly following the escape. She was close to the twins, that much was clear, but she was very different from them. Instead of the excitement and curiosity, she felt a complex and confusing air from her. She was only barely older than Cassandra, and yet something about her seemed artificially aged. She had been forcefully matured far before her time, almost corrupted and warped from what she should have been. There was a sadness about her that seemed familiar to Cassandra, and yet she had an air of hope about her, especially when she was around Scott or the twins. Something in that seemed to release her from the familiar, suffocating cloud of helplessness and despair that Cassandra had herself been locked in. Dr. K had managed to escape it. Despite the sadness, she was forced to smile. There was hope for her if she found someone to facilitate her escape from the corruption inside her, and Dr. K was living proof.

Arriving beside Sam, she sat with her. This woman was different, new. She had arrived while she was asleep, but she already had the trust of the others. Sam looked up at her.

"Hi, you're Cassandra aren't you?" She asked her. "Flynn explained."

Cassandra just shook her hand and took a seat with her. She looked at Alex, and ran a hand over his head. The baby stirred a little at her touch, but didn't wake.

"He's not yours." Cassandra commented. "But you are having a child, aren't you?"

Sam looked at her, a little curious about her statement. She was pregnant, but she wasn't yet noticeably showing. She hadn't spoken with Cassandra at all, and she wasn't sure how much Flynn had said to her.

"How did...?" Sam started to ask. "Did Flynn...?"

"He feels completely safe with you." She interrupted Sam, looking down at Alex. "He kind of wants his mom though."

"Tenaya's busy on the tactical side with Flynn." Sam commented. Cassandra just looked up at her, looking into her eyes. Her expression slipped a little as she looked at Sam sympathetically.

"You still don't know do you?" Cassandra asked. "You still don't know if he forgives you."

Sam grabbed her, becoming a little confused and frustrated with how much this stranger seemed to know about her, but Cassandra just seemed to get a pained expression on her face.

"Who are you?" Sam yelled at her. "How do you know all of this?"

Hearing the commotion, the others sprinted over. Flynn came to Sam's side.

"Sam, calm down..."

Cassandra's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed to the floor, thrashing around wildly. Sam pulled back in horror.

"I didn't touch her!" She yelled. "What's happening?"

"She's having some kind of seizure." Flynn replied. "Everyone stand back."

"That's about the only thing you can do to help her." They heard a voice saying from behind them. They turned to see the new arrival in the doorway.

"Father Larry?" Sam gasped, seeing him standing there.

"I came to see how you were after you were released." He told her. "Everyone stand back, I've seen this before."

They all started to back away slowly as he approached. He looked down on the young girl, checking her eyes as she continued to convulse violently.

"I need to get her somewhere quieter so I can check on her properly." He told them. "Is there a quiet room, somewhere she can be alone and comfortable?"

"You can take her to my room." Flynn told him. Father Larry picked her up gently in his arms and started to walk out of the room. As they left, all of the others turned to look at Sam curiously.

"What the hell just happened?" Flynn asked her.

"I don't know. She started talking about stuff that she shouldn't know about and then she just collapsed." Sam replied.

"I think we need to wait until Father Larry finishes before we'll get some answers." Dr. K told them, clearly frustrated with how little any of them knew about the situation. "Right now, the others need us. We can get answers later."

Back at the asylum, Marcus was taken into his cell, and shoved inside roughly by one of the orderlies. They left him in the restraints Colonel Truman had fastened him into, clearly taking no chances of a repeat performance of his earlier escape.

"You're seriously going to regret this!" Marcus hissed at them, struggling against his restraints. "When I get out of this..."

"That's just it, you aren't getting out." One of them informed him. "You don't think we can seriously let you get out of here knowing what you do."

"So what happens now?" Marcus asked him. "Suicide? Accident?"

"You get the idea." One of them replied. With that, they locked the door. "Once we find the girl, all of this goes away and we can all get back to padding out our pension schemes."

"Well I can think of one slight glitch in that little plan." Marcus said with a smile.

"What would that be?" He asked.

"Me." Ziggy chipped in as he teleported in behind them. He quickly took both men down with his Nitro Sword, and threw them inside. Marcus turned his back to him.

"Get these things off me would you?" He asked. "It looks like Flynn's idea to plant the teleport homer in my restraints worked, but did he have to make them real?"

"We had to convince the guards." Ziggy reminded him, unlocking the restraints and letting him loose. He started stripping one of the guards. "Come on Marcus. We only have a few minutes to open the back door before they figure this out."

Back at the Garage, Cassandra started to slowly come around, finding a kindly older man sitting on the edge of her bed. He just smiled at her.

"You gave us quite a fright there." Father Larry greeted her.

"The others." She whispered. Father Larry put a hand on her wrist, at which she felt a comforting warmth coursing through her. She looked up at him.

"I've brought you somewhere a little quieter; somewhere the voices aren't so loud." He told her. "You feel better now don't you?"

"Sam, you're the one that lied for her aren't you?" Cassandra asked him. Father Larry nodded in response.

"I told a little white lie." He informed her. "I could see the same thing in her heart that you could. Making her suffer for her act of kindness would have accomplished nothing good."

"You know too don't you?" She asked him. "How?"

"I know the same way you do." He informed her. "I hear and feel many of the same things you do."

"You're sick too?" She whispered in response, drawing more closely to him. He shook his head.

"Now is not the time for explanations." He told her. "Get some rest; your mind has taken a lot tonight."

Cassandra wanted to continue this conversation. She could feel that the curious man was something different. Unlike everyone else who had told her they wanted to make her better, who claimed to know what was best for her, he seemed to genuinely know and care. He was just like her. He heard the same voices, but they didn't seem to hurt and confuse him as they did to her.

He made his way into the main room, finding Sam and Tenaya there, minding Alex. Sam came over to him slowly.

"How is she?" She asked him. "I feel terrible, I didn't..."

"I know you didn't do anything deliberately." He assured her. "It isn't your fault."

"What happened?" Tenaya asked him.

"Well Sam, it looks like you get that explanation you were looking for." He told her. She furrowed her brow.

"She knew stuff she shouldn't." She recalled, looking at him. "Just like you."

"Yes, I know what is going on." He told her. "She was wrongly diagnosed. She isn't schizophrenic, she never was."

"Then what is she?" Tenaya asked him.

"She's empathic." He answered her. "She has the ability to hear other's thoughts, to read their emotions."

"She's psychic?" Sam asked him. He shook his head.

"It isn't as exact as that. She can't read minds, she feels them." He told her. "She hears voices, she gets images. It takes some amount of focus and interpretation to understand, but with practice, one with the gift can get a pretty good grasp on people."

"That's how you knew about me." Sam surmised.

"The look on your face now is why I don't advertise the fact." He told her before she could continue. "I know it is an invasion of privacy. Many were distrustful of those who are empathic, that's why we tend not to advertise the fact."

"How many of you are there?" Tenaya asked, suddenly a little concerned.

"I don't know. Cassandra's the only other one I have met since we came to the dome." He told them. "We were rare before, maybe rarer than one in a hundred million."

"So why is she...?"

"Like this?" He asked him. "Usually those who are empathic are related to someone that is, generally a parent, but sometimes it skips a generation." He explained. "It appears that Cassandra has grown up with no one that understood her gift."

"So when she started complaining about hearing voices..."

"...everyone thought she was nuts." Tenaya concluded.

"It seems the medication and the treatments only make her worse." Father Larry told them. "When she collapsed before, it was because it all got too much. Surrounded by so much strong feeling, having her mind pulled at by so many all at once, it is very disorientating. Often those who are empathic often limit the contact they have with others for exactly that reason. It's one of the reasons I became a minister."

"I guess your gift comes in useful." Sam commented. "Summer mentioned you helped her a lot back in the day, and you...well...you know what you did for me."

"I didn't always use my gift for such noble ends." He told her. "I like to do good where I can to make up for that."

"So what do we do now?" Tenaya asked him. "If she isn't sick, then we can't send her back there. It won't do her any good."

"That is a question for another time." Father Larry answered. "In the meantime, let's worry about the here and now. Tenaya, would you give me a minute alone with Sam?"

Tenaya looked between them, only to do as he asked a second later. Sam looked away from him as he approached.

"I know you feel betrayed; I can feel it from here." He told her. "You have my word I have never used my gift to harm you."

"You lie to everybody all the time." Sam whispered. "How are we supposed to trust you?"

"That is precisely why I don't tell people." He informed her. "Any relationship is based on trust. What does that mean when one doesn't have to trust because they can simply know what another's intentions are?"

"What do you want from me?" She asked in response. "Why did you lie?"

"I saw into your heart. I know the pain you have felt, and the guilt you have had to live with." He told her. "I just needed to spend a little time with you to know of your true heart. You are no monster, no murderer. I could tell that no good would come from making you suffer any further. You have paid enough."

He approached her slowly, at which she flinched away from him. He just smiled. He knew it was too much to ask that she forgive him right now. It was always hard for others to accept what he was.

Back at the asylum, the doctor was still talking with Colonel Truman in his office. Colonel Truman started to get up from his chair.

"I greatly appreciate you agreeing to take my son back in." He told the corrupt doctor. "I know you'd be in your rights to refuse."

"Well if I can't take the word of Corinth's military leader that our safety will be assured, whose word can I take?" The doctor asked him. "I'll have someone show you out."

"I think we can find our own way." Dillon stated as he arrived. He came into the room, followed closely by Summer. "Don't bother with the alarm button; no one's coming to your rescue."

"What is the meaning of this?" He snapped as he leapt to his feet. "Colonel Truman?"

"I trust my son." He informed the doctor as Marcus came into the room. "You are under arrest for wrongful imprisonment, fraud and malpractice."

"You're taking the word of a mental patient over me?" The doctor asked him. "This man single-handedly decimated my entire security staff. Many of them are still in hospital."

"That's because I'm getting better." Marcus informed him. "A couple of months ago, they'd have been in the morgue."

Dillon grabbed the doctor, dragging him from the office aggressively. Summer followed him as a couple of soldiers came into the room.

"So you said there'd be evidence." Colonel Truman stated. "I guess we're in for a long couple of days reading."

Marcus went to the first filing cabinet, driving his hand through the drawer and tearing the lock open with ease. Pulling out some files, he handed them to his father.

"You should find what you're looking for in here." He told him. As Scott arrived, Ziggy took the hint that it was time to go. "Thanks for having faith in me."

"I'm just sorry I didn't believe you sooner." Colonel Truman replied. Marcus hugged him, before hugging his brother. "Have fun reading."

"Where are you going?" Colonel Truman asked as he started to leave. "What about this?"

"I'm still a patient remember?" Marcus replied with a little smile. "I have a cell to get back to. Besides, someone has to take care of these patients until a new staff can be assigned to protect them.

"You always did try to find a way out of the paperwork." Scott chuckled. "I'll see you around Marcus."

"You mean that?" He asked him. Scott nodded.

"I have a whole lot of visits to make up for." He replied, hugging him tightly. "Take care bro."

"You too." He replied as he made his way back to his cell. Colonel Truman came over to his younger son, carrying a stack of folders.

"That took a lot of courage." He commented. "I know I don't say this often enough, but I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." He replied, feeling his heart lifting a little. He had been feeling left out since Marcus had come back, and he wanted more from his father. It wasn't a huge gesture, but Scott just got a feeling that it was important. His father just wasn't the kind of guy to make huge emotional gestures. It didn't mean he didn't care. "Say, this'll take you ages. Would you like another set of eyes to help you reading?"

Colonel Truman smiled and put his arm around his son as they turned to leave.

"Always." He replied. "I'll order my troops to put on some coffee. This looks like it'll be a long night."

Back at the Garage, Flynn came into the main room, finding Sam sitting alone. She still didn't know how to take what she now knew about Father Larry. Flynn tapped her on the shoulder, at which she jumped, holding her hand over her heart as she realised it was only Flynn.

"God, you gave me a bloody heart attack!" She gasped as she settled down.

"The others have secured the asylum." He told her. "Everyone's safe."

"I guess that's something." She replied.

"Sam, can we talk?" He asked her gently. "How are you?"

"I'm alright." She told him. "I'm grateful I was released."

"So why am I not bowled over with excitement?" He asked her. "Sam, talk to me."

"Father Larry lied for me." She told him. "He said he knew mom and she asked him to kill her. If it wasn't for that I'd never have been released."


	64. Empathy

Flynn sat, staring at Sam as she said this. He hadn't had a chance to talk to her yet about the circumstances behind her release. Because of the mission to save the inhabitants of the asylum, he had been too busy to spend the time with her to hear the story.

"Father Larry lied for you?" He asked her. "What are you talking about?"

"He came to visit me in my cell. He said he wanted to talk to me." She informed him. "He managed to get me to tell him more about what happened with my mom than I've told anyone, but then...he seemed to know more about it than he should have."

"He knew?" Flynn asked her.

"He knew far more than I told him. He seemed to almost...lift it right out of my head." She continued, her face showing equal measures of confusion and almost disgust as she thought about it. She held her arms around herself, as though trying to protect herself from an assault. "He then told the Colonel that he was there. He told him stuff he couldn't possibly have known, stuff that leant weight to what he said."

Flynn listened intently. He was as confused as she was about the enigmatic Father Larry. He appeared to have nothing to gain by helping Sam, which made his actions mysterious enough, even before they considered how he could have gained information into Sam's past. She hadn't even told Flynn about her involvement in her mother's death until she was forced to by Justin's intervention.

"He told them he ministered to mom while she was ill, and that she had asked him to do it." Sam carried on with her story. "He convinced them she was suicidal and would have done it herself if she was able to. He bore witness to my version of events."

"So he backed up your story?" Flynn asked her. "That's why they re-sentenced you?"

She nodded gently as he took her hand.

"That's pretty weird." He admitted, thinking about it. "Did he tell you how he knew?"

"He explained after Cassandra had her freak out earlier." She informed him. "He told me he's empathic."

"Empathic?" He asked her. "Like, he can read minds?"

"It's something like that. He can read thoughts and emotions." She told him. "Apparently Cassandra's the same. The reason she keeps seeing things and hearing voices is because she doesn't understand her gift and can't shut it out or make sense of it like he can."

"So she isn't schizophrenic?" He asked her. Sam shook her head.

"She never was." Sam told him. "He explained that because no one understood her gift, when she started having these episodes they thought there was something wrong with her."

"Ok, so let me get this straight, he read your mind and that's how he knew about your mom?" Flynn asked her, suddenly becoming bombarded by the bizarre information.

"That's what he said." Sam told him. "He said he knew I was a good person and he lied so that I wouldn't suffer more than I already have."

"I can't believe this." Flynn gasped as he thought about it.

"What the hell does he want from me?" Sam yelled as she got up and started pacing the room.

"Sam, he told you..."

"What does he have to gain?" She interrupted him sharply. "What possible reason could he have for doing this?"

"Sam, maybe he told you the truth." Flynn suggested. "Maybe all he wants is to save you from being punished for something that you did to spare your mom pain and humiliation."

"Just like Justin did?" Sam roared back in her frustration at failing to understand his motives.

"Father Larry is nothing like Justin." Flynn told her abruptly.

"How do you know?" Sam asked him. "Before this, you never even met the man."

"Sam, he hasn't asked for anything." He reminded her. "Maybe he's on the level about this."

"He read my bloody mind Flynn!" She stated angrily. "How can I trust someone who just freely takes what he wants from people's minds?"

"Is that what this is about?" Flynn asked her.

"How would you like it if someone just read your thoughts?" She asked him. "You hate it if anyone reads your mail right? This is a million times worse!"

"So that's what this is about?" Flynn asked her. "You don't want to trust him because he read you?"

"You don't get it Flynn; I've kept that inside for years. It's been eating at me all that time, and he just wanders in and takes that from me in seconds!" She muttered, turning away from him. "How can I ever trust him not to take back what he said? To admit that he lied and get me sent back inside."

"Sam, for one thing, if he did that he'd be admitting to perjury." He reminded her. "I doubt he has an ulterior motive. I know you haven't had the best experience in the past with things like this, but maybe we should just give this the benefit of the doubt."

"Doesn't it bother you that he read my mind?" She asked him. "Doesn't it freak you out to think that he could be doing that to you?"

"Frankly Sam, I couldn't care less if he has horns a tail and a pitchfork." He replied as he held her. "He's given me something precious. He's given me back my life with you."

He kissed her softly, before looking deeply into her eyes.

"I don't know what he's like, but for giving us this, I know I'll always be grateful to him." Flynn assured her. "Don't you think that deserves giving him the benefit of the doubt when he isn't even asking for anything in return?"

I know you'll find it hard to trust me." Father Larry told her as he arrived. "I'm sorry to interrupt."

He approached them, sitting with her and Flynn as they looked on. He held up a hand as Flynn was about to say something.

"I will go once I explain." He told them. "I know it's hard to believe I have no ulterior motives. I suppose I wouldn't believe it myself if I was in your shoes. All I can do is assure you that all I wanted was to understand why you did what you did. Once I figured that out, I knew you didn't deserve to be separated from your husband and child."

"My…we aren't married yet." Flynn reminded him. "You should know, you're set to perform the ceremony."

"But it is how you think of her already." Father Larry told him. Flynn looked more than a little freaked out that Father Larry had managed to see that in him, and realised everything Sam had said was true. He turned to Sam. "In just the same way, you already think of yourself as his wife, and the child's mother."

"You shouldn't just read us like that!" Sam snapped at him. "It's an invasion of privacy, it…"

"It is not always a gift. I already explained I don't share my gift with others often for this reason." He reminded her. "All of a sudden, it doesn't matter how long a person's known you, there's always doubt as to your motives. Can you imagine how much it hurts, looking into the eyes of your family, friends you've known all your life and feeling nothing but distrust? Suspicion? Sometimes even hatred?"

"Hatred?" Sam asked him. "What are…?"

"Often hatred begins purely from mistrust." He interrupted her. "That is why I live mostly alone, and I don't tell anyone what I am."

"So why did you tell me?" Sam asked him, suddenly feeling a little pity for him. She didn't know what his story was, but she had a feeling he was talking from personal experience when he talked about losing friends and family to mistrust.

"I did it for Cassandra's sake. I needed you all to understand." He continued. "She will never be cured in a hospital. She isn't sick, and he gift will always be a part of her. What she needs is to learn to accept it and to learn to control it, so she won't be overwhelmed like she gets around so many people."

"She reads people involuntarily?" Flynn asked him. "She's spent all those years in an asylum, locked in with people with God knows what going on in their heads. No wonder she can't cope."

"I would like to have her transferred into my care." He told them. "I will put her to work in my chapel, while I help her understand her gift."

"Are you sure that's what's best for her?" Sam asked him. "You really think she's like you?"

"Come with me." He instructed them. He took them through to the room where Cassandra was resting, gently shaking her awake.

"Are you feeling better now?" Father Larry asked her. Cassandra just nodded slightly, glancing over to Sam. She looked slightly distressed by her presence.

"Try to stay calm, you may unsettle her." He reminded Sam. She tried to think of something other than her own reservations about this. Father Larry leant over the teenager. "Do you feel up to a little test?"

"What kind of test?" She asked him.

"I think I may convince them to release you from the hospital." He told her honestly. "You won't have to be around all that sickness, hear all that misery. I just need to show them what you can do."

Cassandra nodded and pulled herself out of bed. Father Larry took the small party into the main Garage, where the others, minus Scott and Marcus, were all sitting, waiting on his arrival. Cassandra wrapped her arms around herself and walked into the middle of the room.

"Why don't you go and tell me a little something about…?" Father Larry looked around all of them, before pausing on Tenaya. "Her."

Tenaya looked slightly uneasy as Cassandra approached her. She held Alex tightly in her arms as the young woman looked over her curiously. She touched Tenaya's shoulder softly, before her expression fell.

"You love your son very much, but your happiness is clouded slightly." She stated, concentrating. "Sometimes you worry for him, but more than simply as a mother. Sometimes you feel a sadness when you look at him and worry about his care that stops you being happy."

"My…" Tenaya whispered, thinking about what she had said. She hadn't spoken much about her problems with Alex, only speaking with Ziggy about it a little out of necessity once Ms. Foster had called her on it. She looked to Ziggy, her eyes wide in horror. Although she had largely been able to cope, she still had problems with her depression, and needed him to rely on. Cassandra couldn't possibly have known about it.

Cassandra moved her hand to Alex's forehead, causing him to smile a little at her soft touch. Cassandra smiled herself.

"You needn't worry though. He does not share your concerns." She informed her. "He already knows your arms, and he feels the difference. He feels none of your worries. He feels safe; warm…he's happy when you hold him."

Tenaya looked a little more comfortable having heard this, and turned her gaze to Alex, gently rocking him as Cassandra took her hand away. Cassandra looked to the others, who all seemed a little dumbfounded. They knew a little of Tenaya's problem, but not much. All they knew was that it was something she didn't talk about openly with them, much less strangers. Father Larry stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

"I'll let you decide for yourselves on this matter." He told them. "What I would like to know is if I still have a wedding to prepare in two days."

Summer, Dillon, Flynn and Sam all looked around at each other, realising that because of the chaos of recent events, they still hadn't considered what to do about the ceremony. Eventually Summer looked up to Dillon and smiled.

"I know I'd really like to be Mrs. Uh…OK, maybe we keep my surname." She suggested. "I mean, your name is just Dillon right now."

"Dillon Landsdown?" He asked her. "Maybe I'll get used to it, but one way or another, as long as you're mine, I don't care. We're in."

"Flynn?" Father Larry asked him. The Blue Ranger put his arm around Sam.

"I already think of her as my wife." He responded, reminding Father Larry of what he had told them earlier. "It all depends on what Sam wants if it happens in two days or…"

"I'll do it." She interrupted him quickly. Flynn looked completely delighted by her announcement. "I can see you're on the level with Cassandra. If you're telling the truth about that, then I guess I can give you the benefit of the doubt."

"Well, I look forward to seeing you all in a couple of days." He replied happily. He turned to face Cassandra. "I must leave you with them for now. They'll probably put you in a hospital for the time being, but hopefully we can convince the administration that hospital is not the best place for you."

Cassandra just hugged him, at which he returned the gesture. For once, someone actually did know what was best for her, and she already knew he would do his best to ensure her welfare.

As he left, and Cassandra was shown back to her room by Tenaya as she and Ziggy took Alex to bed, the others congregated, considering the events of the night. Summer go up, taking Dillon by the hand and started to lead him to their room, their exhaustion from the long, busy night becoming a factor. Dr. K wasn't long afterwards, taking a little time to wader around the lab, ensuring all but the emergency surveillance system were turned off, before going to her room.

"We need to get some rest." Gem told his sister. "We'll need to make an early start on the pyro if the wedding's back on."

He leapt off the couch and bounded up the stairs the thought of the explosions and light displays to come.

As Gemma was about to join him, she noticed a note on the floor by the front door. IN all the excitement, no one had noticed it was there. She had no idea when it could have come in, but realistically it could have come in any time.

Making her way over to it, she bent down and noticed that it was addressed to her. There was no address or post mark, so it looked like it had been hand-delivered. She didn't really recognise the hand writing, and so she just shrugged and opened it. The not inside was short and to the point. She couldn't help feeling nervous as she read it over and over again, somehow hoping it would yield more answers as to what to expect.

"Come over tomorrow. I have an answer. Love, Hicks."


	65. Gemma's Answer

The following morning, Gemma was woken up rather rudely as her brother tore the covers from her, bed. She pulled her pillow over her head to shut out the light as she tried in vain to get back to sleep.

"Come on Gemma, get up!" He yelled, grabbing her and shaking her a little more roughly than he really should. "The fireworks won't organise themselves. There's work for us to do, come on!"

"Leave me alone Gem." She muttered, trying to ignore him. Since receiving the note the night before, she had been going over it in her mind, and had fallen asleep, sliding into a million different dreams, both good and bad about what to expect when she went to Hicks apartment. He hadn't said anything in the note, only that he had an answer and wanted to see her.

Although he had hurt her unintentionally a few times since she'd started to have feelings for her, he had tried to do the right thing. He had explained as much as he understood of his feelings, and while it helped, it hadn't helped much. He has told her he was confused over his feelings. He told her that he did have feelings for her, but that it was complicated by the grief he felt over the loss of his wife. He explained that he felt guilty about hurting her, and also for thinking about another woman while Jessica was still in his heart.

She hated how the whole situation had come about. She had fallen for him before she even knew about his family. She couldn't expect anything from him, he was still on psych leave to come to terms with the grief he had repressed since the day the entire Hicks family had been torn from him in one night, and left him with nothing. Of course it also meant that he had left her hanging. All he had promised was that he would try and give her an answer.

Now he seemed to have an answer though, she wasn't sure she wanted to know. She had played both scenarios over in her mind over and over again. She had felt the unbridled joy of what would happen if he said he wanted to get together with her, imagining the scene as he took her in his arms, told her he felt the same way and kissed her in the way she had always imagined, and she had seen in the romance films Summer had let her see. Almost as soon as she had felt her heart pounding so quickly she was sure it would explode, she felt it freeze over and almost stop dead as she reminded herself of the other possibility, the fact that he might be arranging to meet her to tell her that it wasn't going to happen.

Her thoughts were interrupted rudely as Gem grabbed her mattress and yanked it hard, dumping her unceremoniously on the floor. Gemma glared up at him hatefully. Her brother just laughed evilly and ran from the room before she could exact vengeance. Gemma just let him go. Although she wanted nothing more than to catch up to him and make him pay, she was more invested in her thoughts about her visit to Hicks' apartment.

Meanwhile, down in the main room, Summer was busy with her parents, arranging decorations for the second, and hopefully last, time she would be going through a ceremony. Sam was working that day, and they were hoping that by the time she got off work and came to the Garage, all they would have left for her to do would be to make sure her dress was alright before they had a quiet night.

Dillon and Flynn were in the kitchen, looking over the veritable feast Ziggy was putting together. Since their finances had taken a big hit since Alex was born, Ziggy had offered to handle the dinner as his wedding present to both of his team mates. They didn't envy his task. Although they were only having a small ceremony for the family and friends, between all seven Rangers, Dr. K, Tenaya, Colonel Truman, Marcus, Sam, Summer's parents, Hicks, Chas, Brie, Summer's former cell mate Mouse and, of course, Father Larry, he'd be catering for 19 people. Seeing the way that he was running around between roasting tins, chopping boards and pots, they seemed to be impressed, and also mystified at his talent.

"Ziggy, why haven't you been doing all the cooking up until now?" Flynn asked him as Ziggy started slicing onions effortlessly, depositing them into the bottom of a roasting tin.

"I don't think I could chop that fast with the implants." Dillon commented. Ziggy just smiled and shook his head.

"This is nothing. Try making Thanksgiving dinner for 300 inmates when four of your support staff get put into solitary that morning." He replied as he checked on a pot he was making stock in. Flynn and Dillon both got a look of realisation on their faces. He had been a canteen assistant when he was in prison. He had obviously picked up quite a lot from that experience.

"Well all of this looks great." Flynn complimented him as he checked one of the pots. "What's this stuff?"

"That would be my world famous Cullen Skink." Ziggy informed them. Flynn's face lit up as he heard him say this.

"You're making Cullen Skink to start?" He asked. "How did you learn that?"

"It doesn't exactly sound like something that's on the menu in the chow line at prison." Dillon added, dipping a finger into it and tasting the liquid. "What the heck is it anyway?"

"It's a Scottish fish based soup." Ziggy informed him, hitting him with a wooden spoon to get him away from the pot. "Well I learned the basics on the chow line, but I found I enjoyed it, so I took a course to pass the time. I considered becoming a chef if I ever got the money, but as you know my career path never quite earned enough for that to be a feasible option."

"Well this beef looks amazing!" Flynn stated. "It's a shame we have to wait until tomorrow to have some."

"Hey, I don't want to spend all day cooking tomorrow." He reminded them as he shoved the pan into the oven. "I want to enjoy a few glasses of champagne and enjoy the day too. I want to spend some time with my special lady...speaking of which, here they are!"

At that point, Tenaya arrived, carrying a couple of crates of champagne balanced on one hand, while she held Alex with the other.

"You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to how strong you too are." Flynn commented as he saw how she effortlessly balanced the crates.

"Where do you want me to put these?" Tenaya asked him. Ziggy pointed to the lab.

"There's a large cooling unit..."

"Ziggy, that cold room is for unstable substances and experiments!" Dr. K reminded him grumpily as she overheard this. "It's not a fridge!"

"Well where else are we going to get enough cold storage space to chill all these bottles?" He asked her. "The fridge is already full."

"Fine, just don't touch...anything frankly." She muttered as she stormed away, ducking under some streamers the Landsdowns were putting up.

"She's just sore because Scott never came back last night." Flynn reminded her. "Just put away the champagne. She'll be in a better mood once he's back and has made his apologies."

"I guess so." She replied as she made her way into the lab. Just then, Summer rushed over, positively bouncing with excitement.

"Dillon, it's here!" She shrieked, opening a tailor's bag and pulling out a garment. It was a custom-made, tiny tuxedo, made to be small enough for Alex to wear. Ziggy looked at it, trying not to laugh.

"You do know he's only a month old right?" He asked as he inspected it. "He's not going to know what he's wearing. Not to mention..." Dillon placed a hand across his chest.

"There's no point Ziggy, I had this conversation when she ordered it." He informed him. "She's got her heart set on it."

"He'll look adorable in this." She gushed, imagining her soon-to-be nephew in the outfit. "Don't spoil my fun. Hey Tenaya, where's that gorgeous nephew of mine, I want to show you something!"

"She's been like this all day." Flynn commented. "Good luck tomorrow."

"I don't need luck." Dillon said as he watched the door she had just gone through. "I've had all the luck I need finding her."

In the Central Command building, Scott woke up on a large, leather office chair, rubbing his eyes gently as he came to. He had fallen asleep with his father while they were working through the files they had taken from the asylum. They had already found enough evidence to secure convictions for most of the patients, but there was still a large pile in the Colonel's in tray that hadn't been looked at. Scott noticed his father lying sprawled over the desk. Obviously he had fallen asleep too. Scott gently shook him awake.

"Dad, we fell asleep." He informed him. "Can we get some coffee or something?"

The Colonel checked his clock watch, noticing the time.

"I'll just buzz Vasquez." He told him. "She'll..."

"Vasquez is in?" Scott asked, grabbing his dad's wrist and looking at his watch. "Holy crap! Dr. K's going to kill me! Sorry to bail dad, but I've got to go!"

"Hey, I know what it's like keeping a woman waiting." He replied as his son quickly pulled on his jacket. "I'll just have Vasquez help me with what's left of these files."

"Thanks Dad." He called back as he ran out of the room. Colonel Truman just laughed as he watched this. He hadn't meant to keep his son so late, but they had been working on the files so long, obviously exhaustion had gotten the better of them. He didn't envy his son having to go back to his girlfriend after being gone the entire night without any kind of call.

Gemma arrived at Hicks' apartment a little after lunchtime, having slipped out while everyone was too busy with the arrangements for the wedding to really notice that she had left. Although she was meant to be helping Gem with the fireworks, she doubted he would miss her either. It just meant more boom time for him.

She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, before knocking on the door gently. She almost turned to run a couple of times in the few moments before Hicks answered. He saw her standing in his doorway and smiled.

"I got your note." She informed him.

"I kind of got that." He replied, showing her inside. "Would you like something to drink?"

"That would be nice." She responded. Hicks led her to the middle of the room.

"Stay there for a second." He instructed her. Gemma just stood, trying hard not to shiver as her nerves overtook her. This was the moment she had been both waiting for and dreading at the same time. The moment he would either make her dreams come true, or take away all the hope she had left.

He came back in, carrying a couple of cans of soda, giving one to Gemma. She started to sip hers, taking a seat as she did so. Hicks started pacing.

"I said I'd give you an answer, but I have to say something first." He told her, trying to sort out his thoughts into what he wanted to say. "I went to the monument the other day."

He took a long gulp as she watched him. He hated this. He never expected to find himself in this situation. Now he was here, he just wanted it to be over, but he knew he had to do this right.

"I spent a long time thinking about myself and Jessica." He told her. "I still love her. That hasn't changed."

He could see that she was getting upset, and took her hand, pulling her up to stand with him in the middle of the room.

"I got to thinking what we meant to each other, and more importantly how we felt about each other." He told her. "I thought about what I'd want for her if it was the other way around. You know...if she had been the one that survived."

He noticed a tear in her eye and wiped it away. He smiled at her.

"Look up." He said gently.

Gemma looked up to the ceiling, finding her heart beating faster as she saw a sprig of mistletoe hanging there. As she looked back down to him, Hicks moved closer, placing a long, gentle kiss on her lips. Gemma's mind drifted as they parted, hardly able to believe what had happened.

"I wouldn't want her to be alone." He told her. "I don't think she'd want that for me either."

"Are you sure?" She asked him. "Hicks..."

"I can't make any promises about how this is going to go." He interrupted her. "I don't know. I can't just throw myself into this, but I can promise you that I'll try."

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in closely. Gemma put her arms around his neck, smiling broadly.

"And I can promise that I love you." He assured her. With that, he leant in, kissing her again, but it wasn't as she had imagined in her dreams. It was even better.


	66. RPM Wedding

The following day, Tenaya and Ziggy were already awake, having been woken by Alex for his early morning feed. They were still getting used to basing their lives around his schedule, but it was now becoming easier to get by on less sleep and only snatching an hour or two here and there. While Tenaya nursed her son, and Ziggy started to put away the changing equipment, Summer made her way into the room.

"Summer, did he wake you up?" Ziggy asked her. "I was sure we closed the door."

"I couldn't sleep." She rushed out, unusually energetically for the early hour. She had been on an incredible high in the run up to the wedding. Now that it was only a few hours away, it was no surprise she was climbing the walls with excitement.

"Summer, its only 5AM." Tenaya reminded her. "The wedding isn't for another seven hours."

"I just couldn't wait." She responded. "You know for a guy that claimed he didn't sleep, your brother did a pretty good job of ignoring me and going back to sleep..."

"Summer, for the sake of our friendship, please don't continue." Tenaya begged her, placing a towel over her shoulder once Alex had finished with his meal. She turned him up and started to rub his back gently. "There are some mental images I really don't need."

"Well seeing as we're already awake, I guess we could all go for a walk." Ziggy suggested, beginning to look out Alex's outdoor suit.

"Nononononononono! No one's allowed to leave!" Summer rushed out, running to his side and grabbing him. "The baker could be here with the cake any time, and there's the food to prepare and everyone needs to get dressed and..."

"Summer relax!" He chuckled, seeing her panic. "There's hours to go. The food's ready and just needs to be reheated. The decorations are done and there really isn't much point in getting dressed too early...especially Alex, he's just going to need to be changed between now and then anyway."

Tenaya finished burping Alex, and removed the towel from her shoulder. She could see that Ziggy's attempt to calm Summer down was going about as well as his attempts to become a feared gangster. She was just far too hyper to listen to any kind of reason. She figured it was now time to try a different tactic.

"Summer, would you like to take Alex for a little while?" She asked the Yellow Ranger. Summer's eyes lit up with delight at the prospect. Taking the little boy who would officially become her nephew in a few more hours, she started to walk around the main room, showing him the decorations and talking to him about the wedding. Tenaya approached Ziggy slowly as he mopped his forehead in relief.

"Thanks for the save." Ziggy said gratefully. "Remind me not to confront bridezilla again. I was seriously worried Alex was going to grow up without his daddy."

"Please, everyone's allowed to go a little crazy before their wedding." Tenaya told him, wrapping her arms around him. "It's kind of a tradition. She's got a lot on her mind. It won't matter how many times you tell her everything's ready and going to plan, she'll still be nervous about something going wrong."

"Well I guess I'll just try to stay out the way from now on." He replied. "For the good of my health."

"That might be a good idea." Tenaya responded. "You know, Summer will be busy with Alex for a little while right?"

"I'm sure." Ziggy laughed in response, casting his gaze over to where Summer was showing an increasingly drowsy Alex the carpet that had been laid out as the aisle for the occasion. Tenaya grabbed his head and turned his gaze back to her.

"You aren't that bright are you?" She asked him, pulling him down into a passionate kiss. "How often do we get a little time to ourselves?"

Ziggy smiled as he realised she was right. They didn't get as much time alone as they used to. He drew her in, returning the gesture, grateful that for once; they were able to use the situation to get some much-needed time to themselves.

Dillon was finally starting to get washed up a couple of hours later when he heard a knock on the door. Turning around, he noticed Flynn standing in the doorway. Dillon waved him in.

"You know a lot of people would start talking about a couple of guys getting together in a bedroom a couple of hours before they were meant to get married." Dillon teased him. Flynn just chuckled a little at this as Dillon pulled on a t-shirt. "So are you looking forward to this?"

"I haven't thought about anything else since Sam agreed to this." He replied calmly. "I was just wondering how you were holding up. I know you haven't ever been into huge social occasions."

"I don't know what you mean." Dillon replied with a shrug.

"Well the last big social event you attended you did slice Chas' face open with a fencing foil." Flynn reminded him. "This time he's an invited guest."

"Well things have changed." Dillon told him without hesitation. "I was never sure if I deserved any of this before now. I never knew what I was, or what I could become. I always held things off."

"What about now?" Flynn asked him.

"Now I know who I am." He assured him. "I love Summer. I always have, even before I remembered what she meant to me before all of this."

"Well that much has been pretty obvious from the word go." Flynn told him. "The way you two have been looking at each other since you came to Corinth, I had no doubt we'd end up seeing something like this."

"Well there were times I wondered if I deserved her. You know, if I was good enough. Sometimes I didn't know if I had anything to offer her." He said, thinking back over all the ups and downs in their relationship. "Now I realise that it doesn't matter if I think I can offer her enough. It only matters if she thinks what I can offer is enough. It's her choice to make."

"I know what you mean. There were times I wondered what Sam saw in me." Flynn said as he hung up his suit carrier. "She chose me anyway. I knew she was the one right from the start."

"So I guess all that's left is to survive until the ceremony." Dillon sighed.

"Summer?" Flynn asked him.

"She's a million times worse than last night." Dillon warned him. "She was trying to get me up from about 5 this morning. I had to keep ignoring her just to get her to leave me alone."

"Well I guess it is the girls' day." Flynn commented. "That just leaves one wedding day tradition to observe."

"What would that be?" Dillon asked him. Flynn smiled as he pulled a bottle of whisky and two glasses out from his jacket and put them down on Dillon's bedside table.

"We have a dram and a quick toast before we start getting ready." He replied, pouring them each a glass. "This is 50 year old malt. Dad got it as a wedding present and he kept it all these years. It would probably be worth thousands if I sold it, but he said he wanted me to keep it for a special occasion."

"Well I guess today's the day." Dillon replied, appreciating the gesture that he was sharing this moment with him. "So what do we toast to?"

"May the worst days of the future be as good as the best of the past." Flynn responded, raising his glass. Dillon smiled and touched his glass to Flynn's.

"I like the sound of that." He answered. "Cheers."

Over in Summer's room, Mrs. Landsdown was busy styling her daughter's hair for the ceremony. Summer could hardly sit still, making the whole business a lot harder than they were intending it to be.

"Summer, would you please sit still?" She grumbled. Summer just glared at her. "How do you expect me to get this if you won't still?"

"You're doing a great job." She said back, trying to appease her mother. "Gemma, what are you doing?"

"I'm just keeping an eye on the door. You know, making sure neither of the grooms comes in too early." She stated semi-truthfully. She was, in fact, looking through the crack in the door, watching as the guests arrived. Mr. Landsdown, Colonel Truman and Mr. McAllister were all crowded around in the main room, deep in conversation while Ziggy and Scott saw to it that they had refreshments while they were waiting. She was desperate to see Hicks again after the night before. They had agreed to take things slowly, but she was still overjoyed that he had told her he shared her feelings.

"Dillon's already seen me this morning. I doubt it matters. Besides, Sam still isn't here yet." Summer reminded her. "It's unlikely Flynn won't see her before...Oh God! Sam isn't here yet!"

She jumped up, beginning to flail in her panic as her mother pulled away from her, rolling her eyes in frustration.

"Sam isn't here! Where is she? She can't be late!" Summer started to babble frantically. "She..."

"Calm down Summer, she's here." Gemma assured her as Sam arrived, carrying a tailor's bag. "She's just heading up just now."

As Sam arrived in the room, Summer ushered her in quickly, showing her into a chair. She had gotten her hair styled earlier to save a little time. She was needed in the lab, but she had managed to slip out early for the ceremony. By spending a few hours clearing her desk that morning, she had managed to secure herself a week's vacation to enjoy a honeymoon of sorts with Flynn after the wedding.

"God, you scared the hell out of me!" Summer stated as she accepted a glass of champagne from her mother to steady her nerves.

"Summer, there's still two hours left." Sam reminded her, pulling off her jacket. "It's not like we have to hurry. Almost everyone's here, just calm down."

"Almost!" Summer shrieked, realising what she had said. "Sam, who isn't here?"

"Well I saw Mouse, the Colonel, Scott, Ziggy..."

"Corporal Hicks just arrived!" Gemma rushed out with a huge grin on her face. She turned back to them, and realised that they were looking at her. So far they hadn't made their new relationship public, but then they had only strictly speaking been together for a matter of hours since the night before.

"Father Larry, your parents, Flynn's dad..." She continued. "I guess the only ones I didn't see were Chas and Brie."

"They're not here?" Summer asked her. "Brie's my maid of honour! This is a disaster! Where the hell are they?"

Just then, her cell phone rang. Summer saw that it was Chas and answered it.

"Chas, where are you?" She asked him.

"I'm on my way to the hospital. Brie went into labour ten minutes ago." He informed her. She could hear her screaming and the sound of a siren in the background and realised he wasn't joking.

"Oh god, she's having the baby?" Summer asked him. "I'll call off the wedding. We can be there..."

"No, don't do that!" He instructed her. "Brie, it's alright sweetie, just breathe...Summer, it's your day. We'll be fine, just go and have a good time."

"But..."

"I'll call you as soon as I can." He interrupted her before hanging up. Summer just stared at the phone as it went dead.

"I guess Brie and Chas aren't coming then." Tenaya surmised as she arrived, wearing a pale yellow silk dress. Alex had been cleaned up and put into the miniature tux that Summer had given them the night before.

"Brie's having the baby." Summer told them. "Chas insisted we go ahead without them. He promised he'd call us when he could."

"So what are we going to do?" Tenaya asked them. Summer considered it for a moment. It felt a little selfish that she wanted to go ahead with the wedding, and part of her wanted to call it off and head to the hospital.

"Chas did tell you they wanted you to go ahead." Mrs. Landsdown told her.

"Mom, we can't..."

"Do you really think they'd want to feel like they ruined your day?" Mrs. Landsdown asked her. "It's not like you could do anything to help them anyway."

"Your mom has a point." Gemma told her. "There's no telling how long she'll be in labour. They'll call you if anything happens."

Summer thought about it for a while, looking at Sam, hoping for some kind of wisdom to help her make the decision, but she seemed to have as little idea what to do as Summer. Eventually she looked to Tenaya.

"Could you fill in as Maid of Honour?" She asked her. Tenaya nodded in response.

"I have to carry the ring bearer anyway." She reminded her, bobbing Alex gently.

"Gemma, go downstairs and tell everyone what's going on. We'll carry on as planned." Summer instructed her to a few sighs of relief. "Come on Sam, it's time we got dressed."

Down in the main room, Scott approached Dr. K as the guests all mingled, chatting casually as they waited for the ceremony to begin. She was dressed in a long, white ball gown for the occasion.

"You look incredible." He complimented her. She just rolled her eyes and turned away from him. "How much more apologising do I have to do?"

"I believe it is customary in these situations that a woman makes her boyfriend 'jump through hoops' for a while as Summer would say." She told him. "I understand one is meant to bribe their girlfriend when they do something like this."

"I told you, I'd been up all day, we were working for a long time and I fell asleep." He reminded her. "I didn't mean to make you worry."

"You didn't call." She replied bitterly. "I knew where you were, but it hurt that you didn't call."

"I promised I'd make it up to you and I will." He assured her, placing an arm around her, stroking her shoulders gently. She found her resolve melting a little. She hated that he had figured out how to ease her like that. She found it hard to be angry with him when he touched her like that. "I have a little something for you later."

"You do?" She asked him, managing a little half-smile at him. "What is it?"

"Well you wanted to be bribed." He whispered in her ear as he moved closer, holding her to himself. He pulled a small box out of the inside pocket of his jacket, handing it to her. She opened it and smiled, looking up to him.

"These..."

"They're your favourites." Scott interrupted her as she took a piece of candy from the box, shoving it into her mouth. "I have more in my room. I spent a couple of hours on the phone to every confectioner in the city to find one that stocked them."

Dr. K kissed him softly, the sweetness of the candy still hanging on her lips.

"So am I forgiven yet?" He asked her. Dr. K looked to the box thoughtfully.

"It's a start." She replied cheekily. "I'll let you know when you're there."

"So what else can I do?" He asked her. Dr. K thought about it for a second, before smirking at him and giving him a knowing wink.

"I'm sure I'll think of something." She replied. Just then, Father Larry made his way to the end of the aisle, while Colonel Truman and Mr. Landsdown went up to the girls' room. Gemma split off from them at the top of the stairs to head to Dillon and Flynn's room. "It looks like something's happening.

"I have an announcement to make. Chas and Brie will not be in attendance; Mrs. Winchester is currently delivering her child." He told them. The assembled guests applauded, delighted to hear the news that they were having the baby at last. "The ceremony will go ahead as planned; we're just getting the grooms ready to begin."

On cue, Dillon and Flynn came down the stairs with Gemma in tow. Dillon was dressed unusually formally for him, having been convinced by Summer to get dressed in a black tuxedo. Flynn followed on, wearing a kilt bearing the McAllister tartan. They made their way into the room, being greeted by guests. As he shook hands with them though, Hicks could only look at Gemma.

He watched her coming in, and nodded to her, grinning broadly. She returned the gesture as the grooms made their way to the front of the room, at which the guests started to take their seats. Hicks sat on the opposite side of the aisle from her, since Gem had taken the seat next to her. It was something they needed to tell the others, especially Gem in time. It wasn't the time to just spring this on them.

Ziggy and Scott, Dillon and Flynn's best man respectively joined them before Father Larry as they waited for the brides.

Father Larry started the music as the bridal party made their way down the stairs towards the carpet. Colonel Truman led Sam, while Summer was accompanied by her father. Tenaya made her way along behind them carrying Alex, who looked around in wonder, not knowing what to make of the ceremony or the large crowd in the Garage. As they arrived at the front, by Father Larry, Flynn and Dillon finally got a glimpse of their respective brides. Neither man could contain their happiness as Father Larry began the ceremony.

Over in the hospital, Chas held Brie's hand as she made the final push. She collapsed back into the bed as the doctor checked on the new child.

"Congratulations Mr. Mayor, it's a baby girl." He informed him. He handed the baby to Chas, who just looked at his new daughter in amazement.

"What did we have?" Brie asked wearily as she struggled to recover from the ordeal. Chas brought the girl up closer so she could see.

"It's a girl." He said happily as Brie looked at her daughter. "You're a mommy."

Brie reached forward, touching the little girl and laughed a little. This was the greatest thing that had ever happened to her.

Back at the Garage, Father Larry had just overseen the exchanging of the rings. He smiled as he was ready for the final part of the ceremony.

"You may now kiss the bride."

"Is that really necessary?" Dillon joked. Summer hit him in the shoulder, unhappy with the timing of his joke. He just laughed at her. "As if he really needs to ask."

As the two couples shared their first kiss together, Gem set off a charge, raining harmless coloured sparks from the ceiling. Father Larry jumped in shock at the explosion, while everyone else kind of expected it. He quickly regained composure, remembering his final duty.

"It is my great pleasure to introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs McAllister, and Mr and Mrs…" He tailed off and leaned in, whispering to Summer. "What surname are you using?"

"I don't have one." Dillon told him. Summer shook her head and shrugged. Father Larry just stood back up. "And Summer and Dillon!"

The others all cheered and a few more charges went off as they turned back to their friends. They walked through exchanging congratulations and well wishes. Mr. Landsdown suddenly drew their attention with a loud whistle, holding up his cell phone.

"That was Chas, it's a girl!" He informed them all, causing another cheer of approval. "Both mother and child are fine."

As the celebration went on, Dr. K pulled Scott aside. He placed his hands on her waist as she backed him into a corner.

"So is it time for me to make it up to you yet?" He asked her. Dr. K just shook her head.

"Scott, I've had Venjix's palace under surveillance. Things have been far too quiet recently." She told him.

"Well I will admit the last two months have been comparatively boring." He agreed. "What's up?"

"Activity at the plant has increased dramatically. It's putting out far more pollution than it ever has, and the energy readings are off the scale." She said with a worried look on her face. "Production has increased dramatically. Whatever it's building, it's big. I think we can expect a lot more movement in the near future."

"So what do we do?" Scott asked her. Dr. K looked around at the party regretfully.

"There's no point breaking up the party. Until Venjix makes a move, there's nothing we can do." She conceded as she watched Flynn and Sam dancing together. "All we can do is enjoy the good times while they last."

With that, she noticed something flying in her direction and snatched it out the air, realising it was the bouquet. She looked up to see Summer pointing at her with a huge grin on her face and gesturing her over wildly. She looked into Scott's eyes, wordlessly reminding him of what she had said, and he had to accept she was right. They needed to enjoy the good times while they lasted. No one knew how long they would.

Fin.

A/N: That's the end of this story; I'll begin my version of the conclusions arc soon, now that the series is FINALLY coming back. Hope you all enjoyed it. Knightwood.


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